News/Google
How to Use Gemini AI to Craft a Music Playlist for Your Workouts
Harnessing AI for fitness motivation: Google's Gemini AI offers a novel approach to creating personalized workout playlists, tailoring music selections to individual exercise routines and preferences. Accessing Gemini: Users can interact with Google's Gemini AI through a web browser or dedicated app, making it easily accessible for playlist creation. Describing the workout: Provide Gemini with specific details about your exercise routine, including duration, type, and focus areas. For example, users might input "45-minute high-intensity interval training focusing on cardio and strength" This information helps Gemini understand the workout structure and intensity Specifying music preferences: Communicate your musical tastes to Gemini...
read Sep 5, 2024Select Users Can Now Use Natural Language to Search Google Photos
Google's AI-powered photo exploration: Google is rolling out a new "Ask Photos" feature to select Google Labs users in the US, leveraging its Gemini AI models to enable natural language interactions with users' photo libraries. The feature allows users to ask questions about their photos, such as inquiring about specific events or locations captured in images. Users can also request task completion, like summarizing vacation activities or selecting the best family pictures for a shared album. Google is offering a waitlist for those interested in accessing the Ask Photos feature. Enhanced search capabilities: Alongside the new AI assistant, Google Photos...
read Sep 4, 2024Google Brings AI-Powered Gmail Assistant to Android Devices
Google expands AI-powered email assistance: Google is bringing its Gemini AI chatbot's Gmail Q&A feature to Android devices, with iOS support coming soon, offering users a new way to interact with their email inboxes. The Gmail Q&A feature, which was previously available on the web, allows users to ask Gemini questions about their inbox content and perform various email-related tasks. Users can utilize the AI to find specific details in emails, view unread messages, filter emails from particular senders, or summarize emails on a given topic. Availability and access: The feature is not universally accessible and requires specific subscription or...
read Sep 4, 2024Review: AI-Powered Pixel 9 Pro XL Challenges Smartphone Status Quo
Pixel 9 Pro XL: A compelling blend of AI and refined hardware: Google's latest flagship smartphone offers an impressive combination of advanced AI features and hardware improvements, positioning itself as a strong contender in the high-end smartphone market. Design and display upgrades: The Pixel 9 Pro XL introduces a refreshed design that marks a departure from its predecessors while maintaining the distinctive Pixel aesthetic. The new boxy shape with flat sides and a floating backplate camera nodule replaces the iconic camera bar, offering a sleek and modern look. The display is nearly on par with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, featuring...
read Sep 4, 2024Why Google’s $172M Deal With California May Fail to Solve the Journalism Crisis
Google's deal with California: A stopgap measure for journalism support: Google has agreed to commit over $172.5 million to journalism and artificial intelligence initiatives in California, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by the news industry in the digital age. The agreement, negotiated with California Assembly member Buffy Wicks, replaces more complex regulatory and "link tax" legislation that Google had opposed. California is also contributing $70 million to journalism initiatives as part of the deal. This arrangement may set a precedent for similar agreements between tech giants and other states. Shortcomings of the current approach: The deal between Google and California...
read Sep 4, 2024Google Researchers Have Used AI to Recreate the Iconic Game Doom
Breakthrough in AI Game Development: Google researchers have successfully used artificial intelligence to recreate the iconic first-person shooter game Doom, marking a significant milestone in AI-powered game creation. The team developed GameNGen, an AI game engine capable of generating high-quality, interactive gameplay entirely through artificial intelligence. GameNGen recreated Doom with a frame rate of 20 fps, allowing players to engage in core gameplay elements such as attacking enemies, opening doors, and tracking ammo and health levels. The AI-generated version closely mimicked the original game, with human viewers barely able to distinguish it from authentic Doom gameplay footage in comparison tests....
read Sep 3, 2024Google Integrates Gemini AI into Chrome’s Address Bar
Gemini AI integration in Chrome: A game-changer for web browsing: Google has quietly introduced a significant update to its Chrome browser, integrating the advanced Gemini AI chatbot directly into the address bar, potentially transforming how millions of users interact with the internet. Key features of the integration: Users can access Gemini by typing "@gemini" followed by their query in Chrome's address bar The feature eliminates the need for separate websites or applications to engage with AI assistance Gemini 1.5 Flash, a lightweight version of Google's advanced language model, powers the integration The update is now widely available to users in...
read Aug 29, 2024Google’s AI Gemini to Upgrade Android Messaging and Notifications
Gemini's expanding reach: Google's AI assistant Gemini is set to integrate with popular messaging platforms and enhance notification management, signaling a significant expansion of its capabilities and accessibility. Google is developing extensions that will allow Gemini to interact directly with users through messaging apps and notifications, as revealed by code discovered by Android Authority. This move builds upon Gemini's existing integrations with Google services like Flights, Hotels, Maps, Workspace, YouTube, and YouTube Music. The extensions are designed to grant Gemini access to real-time personal data, improving its ability to respond to user requests effectively. New messaging integrations: Gemini's forthcoming extensions...
read Aug 28, 2024New Research Explores Global Divide in AI Chip Ownership
AI chip distribution reveals global digital divide: New research uncovers a stark imbalance in the global distribution of advanced AI chips, highlighting the concentration of computational power in a handful of countries and its potential impact on AI development and governance. Key findings of the study: A peer-reviewed paper, shared exclusively with TIME, maps the locations of publicly accessible GPU clusters worldwide, revealing significant disparities in AI infrastructure distribution. The United States and China lead in the number of GPU-enabled regions, with China having more overall but the U.S. dominating in the most advanced GPU availability. Only 30 countries worldwide...
read Aug 27, 2024Google Meet Is Getting an AI Note-Taking Upgrade
AI-powered note-taking arrives for Google Meet: Google has begun rolling out its new "take notes for me" feature to select Google Workspace customers, offering automatic AI-generated summaries of meetings. Key features and availability: The feature is currently available to customers with Gemini Enterprise, Gemini Education Premium, or AI Meetings & Messaging add-ons It automatically summarizes meeting content in a Google Doc, which is then attached to the calendar event and shared with participants The tool currently only supports spoken English Google plans to complete the rollout to all Google Workspace customers by September 10th, 2024 How it works: Unlike Meet's...
read Aug 27, 2024Google Gemini May Soon Integrate with WhatsApp and Android Notifications
Google Gemini's expanding capabilities: Google is developing new extensions for its AI-powered Gemini chatbot, potentially integrating it more deeply with Android phones and popular messaging apps. Android Authority's APK teardown has revealed three new extensions in development for Gemini: WhatsApp, Google Messages, and Android system notifications. These extensions, while not yet functional in the beta, suggest Google's intention to make Gemini a more integral part of the Android user experience. The new features would build upon Gemini's existing integrations with apps like YouTube, YouTube Music, Calendar, Tasks, and Spotify. WhatsApp integration: The WhatsApp extension appears to be the most comprehensive...
read Aug 27, 2024AI-Powered Pixel Features Falter on Unlocked Devices
Pixel AI features face limitations on unlocked devices: Google's latest AI-powered features for Pixel smartphones appear to be incompatible with devices that have an unlocked bootloader, potentially affecting users who customize their devices. Several new AI features introduced with the Pixel 9 series, including Pixel Screenshots, Pixel Studio, Call Notes, and AI weather reports, reportedly cease functioning on devices with an unlocked bootloader. The issue affects both Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 series devices, according to user reports on XDA forums. Google's one-year free Gemini Advanced promotion for Pixel 9 Pro users is also unavailable on bootloader-unlocked devices. Technical implications...
read Aug 26, 2024Honor Introduces AI-Powered Apps for Magic V3 Foldable Smartphone
AI-powered productivity suite debuts on Honor Magic V3: Honor has introduced a new set of AI-powered applications for its Magic V3 foldable smartphone, developed in partnership with Google Cloud, ahead of its global launch. Key features of the AI suite: Honor unveils three main AI-powered applications: AI Eraser, Face to Face Translation, and Honor Notes Live Translation These features are designed to enhance productivity and user experience on the Magic V3 foldable device The AI suite leverages Google Cloud technology, suggesting a close collaboration between Honor and Google AI Eraser functionality: AI Eraser bears a striking resemblance to Google Photos'...
read Aug 26, 2024Google Enhances Cloud Run with Support for NVIDIA L4 GPUs
AI inference gets a boost on Google Cloud Run: Google Cloud has enhanced its serverless platform, Cloud Run, by adding support for NVIDIA L4 GPUs, significantly improving its capabilities for handling complex AI workloads. Key features of the upgrade: The integration of NVIDIA L4 GPUs extends Cloud Run's capabilities to support real-time AI inference This enhancement is particularly beneficial for deploying lightweight generative AI models and small language models The NVIDIA L4 GPU offers up to 120 times the video performance compared to CPUs and 2.7 times the performance for generative AI tasks compared to previous GPU generations Deployment process...
read Aug 25, 2024Waymo Dominates Autonomous Ride-Hailing with 2M Paid Trips
The rise of autonomous ride-hailing: Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, is leading the charge in the autonomous ride-hailing industry with a recent $5 billion multi-year investment and a growing presence in several US cities. Waymo began offering fully autonomous rides in San Francisco in late 2022 and started charging for the service in August 2023. The company's fleet has expanded to approximately 700 cars across three markets: San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Waymo has provided over two million paid rides to date, with more than 100,000 weekly paid rides. Expansion and future plans: Waymo is rapidly expanding its service...
read Aug 25, 2024Google Invests $117.5M in California’s Effort to Support Journalism
California's innovative approach to journalism funding: Google and the state of California have struck a groundbreaking deal to support local journalism and advance AI innovation, sidestepping a proposed "link tax" bill. The agreement involves Google contributing $55 million over five years to a "News Transformation Fund," while California will add $70 million during the same period. Google has also committed $62.5 million to establish a "National AI Innovation Accelerator," highlighting the growing intersection of technology and journalism. This deal requires legislative approval as part of California's budget process and has received support from Governor Gavin Newsom. Financial implications and industry...
read Aug 25, 2024Google DeepMind Staff Protest AI’s Military Use in Open Letter
Google DeepMind employees protest military contracts: Nearly 200 staff members at Google DeepMind have signed an open letter calling for the company to end its contracts with military organizations, citing ethical concerns about the use of AI technology in warfare. The letter, representing about 5% of the Google DeepMind division, expresses concerns about the company's AI being used for military purposes, particularly referencing Project Nimbus, a defense contract with the Israeli military. Employees highlight reports of the Israeli military using AI for mass surveillance and target selection in Gaza, with Israeli weapon firms required to purchase cloud services from Google...
read Aug 25, 2024How Google’s 3 New AI Models Stack Up Against Each Other
Google's Gemini AI: A new frontier in language models: Google's latest large language model, Gemini, comes in three distinct versions - Ultra, Pro, and Nano - each tailored for different use cases and computational environments. Gemini Nano: AI in your pocket: This lightweight version is designed to run directly on mobile devices, offering on-device AI capabilities without compromising user privacy or requiring constant internet connectivity. Gemini Nano comes in two variants: Nano-1 with 1.8 billion parameters and Nano-2 with 3.25 billion parameters. It powers on-device AI features such as call notes on Pixel phones, showcasing its ability to perform complex...
read Aug 25, 2024‘Google Keep’ Adds AI-Powered List Creation for Android Users
AI-powered list creation comes to Google Keep: Google Keep, the popular note-taking app, is introducing a new AI-driven feature called "Help me create a list" for Android users, leveraging the power of Gemini to enhance productivity and organization. Feature functionality and accessibility: The new AI-powered list creation tool in Google Keep transforms simple prompts into comprehensive, categorized lists, streamlining the process of task and item organization for users. Users can input prompts like "write a grocery list of ingredients for healthy dinners," and the AI will generate a detailed list with categories such as lean protein, vegetables, and whole grains....
read Aug 25, 2024Google’s Pixel Screenshots and Studio Now Available in These Countries
Pixel 9 series phones are set to receive advanced AI-powered features, enhancing user experience with innovative screenshot and photo editing capabilities. New AI features for Pixel 9: Google is rolling out Pixel Screenshots and Pixel Studio, two AI-powered tools designed to enhance the functionality of its latest smartphone series. Pixel Screenshots and Pixel Studio are being introduced exclusively for the Pixel 9 series, marking a significant upgrade in the phone's capabilities. These features are currently available in English across eight countries: United States United Kingdom Canada Australia India Ireland Singapore Malaysia The release of these AI-powered tools underscores Google's commitment...
read Aug 25, 2024Google Releases Free ‘Prompt Gallery’ as Part of AI Studio
Google enhances AI development with free Prompt Gallery: Google has introduced a new Prompt Gallery feature in its AI Studio platform, expanding the capabilities available to developers using the Gemini API. Key features of the Prompt Gallery: The gallery offers a diverse range of pre-built prompts showcasing Gemini models' capabilities Prompts cover various applications, from practical tools to creative exercises Examples include a JSON schema-based recipe generator, math tutor, worksheet creator, and image-based object identifier Significance for developers: The Prompt Gallery demonstrates the versatility of the Gemini API It caters to both technical tasks and creative endeavors The update enhances...
read Aug 23, 2024Google’s AI Image Tool Sparks Controversy Over Inappropriate Content
AI image generation raises ethical concerns: Google's Pixel Studio, an AI image generation tool for the Pixel 9, has come under scrutiny for producing controversial and inappropriate content. Users have been able to generate questionable images using the tool. Digital Trends reported even more concerning results, featuring popular cartoon characters in highly inappropriate scenarios. Examples included cartoon characters wielding firearms, engaging in drunk driving, and wearing Nazi uniforms. Google's response and ongoing challenges: The tech giant has taken steps to address the issue, but concerns about AI-generated content persist. Google has reportedly implemented restrictions on some of the more problematic...
read Aug 23, 2024Google’s Pixel 9 AI Photos May Be Too Good
The Pixel 9's AI photography raises ethical concerns: Google's latest flagship smartphone introduces powerful AI-driven photo manipulation tools that blur the line between reality and fiction, sparking debate about the future of digital imaging. The Pixel 9 lineup boasts impressive hardware, a fast chip, and a distinctive camera bump, positioning it as a worthy Android flagship device. The "Reimagine" tool allows users to alter photos with simple prompts, creating highly realistic manipulated images that are indistinguishable from authentic photographs. This advancement in AI photography technology raises concerns about the potential for widespread misinformation and the erosion of trust in visual...
read Aug 21, 2024Google’s Pixel 9 Brings 10 New AI Features to Smartphones
Google unveils AI-powered features for Pixel 9: The tech giant is set to launch a suite of 10 new artificial intelligence capabilities for its upcoming Pixel 9 series, marking a significant step in integrating AI into smartphone functionality. Launch timeline and availability: Most of the new AI features will be available immediately upon the Pixel 9's release, with a few exceptions slated for later rollout. Eight of the ten announced features are expected to be ready at launch, providing users with immediate access to a range of AI-enhanced capabilities. The Video Boost update, which includes improvements like 8K sampling and...
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