News/Google
Why Google’s New NotebookLM May Be a Favorite with Students
The innovative NotebookLM AI tool from Google Labs is set to change how students interact with information, offering a range of features designed to enhance learning and academic integrity. Source Grounding for Trustworthy AI: NotebookLM addresses concerns about AI hallucinations by allowing students to define and upload trusted sources, ensuring responses are firmly rooted in reliable material: Students can confidently use AI without worrying about being misled by fabricated information. The tool enables students to ask questions, learn, and explore based on specific class readings. Advanced Citation System for Academic Integrity: NotebookLM's advanced citation system promotes proper sourcing and teaches...
read Jun 28, 2024Google Translate Adds 110 Languages, Expands Reach to 614M More People Worldwide
Google Translate has significantly expanded its capabilities by leveraging Google's PaLM 2 large language model, allowing it to accurately translate a much wider array of languages, dialects, and creoles. Key details of the expansion: Google Translate is adding 110 new languages, the largest single expansion in the platform's history, enabling it to serve an additional 614 million people, or about 8% of the global population: The update includes some widely spoken languages like Cantonese and Punjabi (Shahmukhi), as well as lesser-known tongues like Manx, Sicilian Italian, and Tok Pisin. African languages saw their biggest expansion, with the addition of Fon,...
read Jun 28, 2024Google Cloud Boosts AI Accuracy with New Updates to Vertex AI
Google Cloud introduces new Vertex AI capabilities to enhance the accuracy and reliability of enterprise AI applications, addressing concerns about misleading or inaccurate outputs from generative AI models. Key features for enterprise-ready AI: Google Cloud is rolling out new features for its Vertex AI platform to help organizations build more accurate and trustworthy AI services: Grounding with third-party datasets: Customers can now leverage specialized datasets from providers like Moody's, MSCI, Thomson Reuters, and ZoomInfo to improve the accuracy of their AI models' outputs, with this feature becoming available in Q3 2024. High-fidelity mode: Organizations can use their own corporate datasets...
read Jun 27, 2024Google’s Imagen 3 Launches on Vertex AI, Transforming Text-to-Image Generation
Google's Imagen 3 text-to-image foundation model is now available in preview on the company's Vertex AI platform, offering enhanced capabilities for generating high-quality images from text prompts. Key features of Imagen 3 on Vertex AI: The updated model brings several improvements to the text-to-image generation process, making it more accessible and powerful for developers: Faster image generation, better prompt understanding, and more photorealistic output, especially when generating images of people Greater control over text rendering within the generated images Multi-language support, safety features like SynthID digital watermarking, and multiple aspect ratio support Early adopter feedback: Shutterstock, a stock photography provider,...
read Jun 27, 2024YouTube Pursuing AI Song Deals, Prompting Debate Over Music’s Future
YouTube is negotiating with major record labels to license music for its AI song generation tools, aiming to launch new features this year despite many artists' opposition to AI-generated music. Key Points: YouTube needs labels' content to legally train AI song generators and is offering upfront payments to convince more artists to participate. The company tested a limited AI tool called "Dream Track" last year with only 10 artists, and now wants to sign up "dozens" for a broader rollout in 2024. The deals would apply to select artists rather than being blanket licenses, with labels encouraging their stars to...
read Jun 26, 2024Deepfakes and Disinformation: AI Misuse Threatens Democracy, Study Reveals
A new study from Google's DeepMind division sheds light on the most common malicious uses of AI, revealing that political deepfakes and disinformation campaigns are the top concerns. Key Findings: Deepfakes and Disinformation Dominate AI Misuse; The study, conducted in collaboration with Google's Jigsaw unit, analyzed around 200 incidents of AI misuse and found that: The creation of realistic but fake images, videos, and audio of people, known as deepfakes, was the most prevalent form of AI misuse, nearly twice as common as the next highest category. The second most common misuse was the falsification of information using text-based tools...
read Jun 26, 2024Tech Giants Quietly Claim Rights to Train AI on Your Data
The New York Times recently highlighted how major tech companies have quietly updated their terms of service over the past year to enable using customer data to train AI models: Key changes in terms of service: Tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and others have modified their terms to allow for using customer data in developing AI systems: Google's terms now state that the company can use content "to develop, test, improve, and maintain our products and services, including for the development and training of artificial intelligence models and systems." Microsoft made similar changes, adding language about using customer content "to...
read Jun 26, 2024Google’s AI Chatbots to Mimic Celebrities, YouTubers, and Fictional Characters on YouTube
Google is reportedly developing AI chatbots that mimic celebrities, YouTube influencers, and fictional characters, potentially integrating them into YouTube to enhance user engagement and monetization opportunities. Key details of Google's AI chatbot plans: The report suggests Google is working on creating customizable AI chatbots that users can interact with and even build their own based on famous personalities: These chatbots will focus on replicating the personalities and responses of the celebrities or characters they are modeled after, going beyond task-specific AI like Google's recently released Gems. Google may incorporate these AI chatbots directly into YouTube, leveraging the platform's popular creators...
read Jun 26, 2024Google’s August 13th Event: AI, Android, and Pixel 9 Unveiling Expected
Google's Pixel 9 event scheduled for August 13th promises a showcase of AI, Android, and new hardware, marking an earlier than usual launch for the tech giant. Key details of the upcoming event: Google has announced an in-person "Made by Google" event for August 13th, where the company is expected to unveil its latest offerings: The event will take place at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET, and will feature the "best of Google AI, Android software, and the Pixel portfolio of devices." A teaser video titled "AI... meet IX at Made by Google" further emphasizes the event's focus...
read Jun 25, 2024Google Infuses Workspace with AI, Raising Productivity and Privacy Concerns
Google is adding Gemini 1.5 Pro as a pop-out sidebar in Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Gmail, enabling the AI to sift through documents, scan data, write emails, and summarize messages: In Slides, Gemini can create agendas, summarize presentations, generate new slides, and create custom images. For Sheets, it will generate table templates, formulas, and help sort data. The Gemini sidebar and Gmail integration will only be available to paying Google Workspace, Gemini Education, or Google One AI subscribers, not free users. Privacy Implications: Gemini's access to users' content, files, and data in Google's apps could pose privacy concerns:...
read Jun 25, 2024Deepfakes Threaten Democracy: Google Study Reveals AI’s Role in Swaying Public Opinion
A new study from Google's DeepMind reveals that the most common misuse of AI is creating political deepfakes to sway public opinion, raising concerns about the impact on elections and the spread of misinformation. Key findings: The research, conducted in collaboration with Google's Jigsaw unit, analyzed around 200 incidents of AI misuse and found that: Creating realistic fake images, videos, and audio of politicians and celebrities was the most prevalent misuse, nearly twice as common as the next highest category. Shaping public opinion was the primary goal, accounting for 27% of misuse cases, followed by financial gain through services like...
read Jun 25, 2024Gmail Introduces Gemini AI Features for Paid Users
Gmail is expanding its AI capabilities, introducing new features that could significantly improve email management and productivity for paid users. Here's a summary: Key Takeaways: Google is rolling out Gemini AI features in Gmail, including an AI sidebar for web users and email summaries in the mobile app, aimed at making it easier to manage and respond to emails. The new Gemini side panel can summarize email threads, draft new emails, and respond to freeform questions, leveraging Google's most advanced AI models like Gemini 1.5 Pro. Gmail mobile apps will also gain the ability to have Gemini summarize email threads....
read Jun 24, 2024AI Data Quality: The Key to Effective, Reliable, and Ethical AI Systems
In the age of artificial intelligence, data quality is crucial for building effective and reliable AI systems. Poor quality data used to train AI models, such as Reddit's content partnership with Google that led to bizarre search results like recommending glue on pizza, highlights the importance of high-quality data in AI development. Defining high-quality data: Data quality is not just about accuracy or quantity, but rather data that is fit for its intended purpose and evaluated based on specific use cases: Relevance is critical, as the data must be directly applicable and meaningful to the problem the AI model aims...
read Jun 21, 2024Google AI Gaffe Highlights Escalating Legal Risks as Generative AI Goes Mainstream
Google's AI search mistakes are escalating legal risks as the technology rapidly enters mainstream use. The AI Overview feature falsely stated that chess player Hans Niemann admitted to cheating against Magnus Carlsen, highlighting the potential for AI-generated libel to harm reputations and businesses. Key issues with AI defamation: The rise of generative AI in consumer products is blurring the lines between platforms and publishers, raising questions about legal liability for false and damaging statements: AI language models are prone to "hallucination" - inventing sources, misattributing quotes, and rewriting events - which can easily turn nuances into libel. Traditional defamation law...
read Jun 21, 2024Google’s AI Video-to-Audio Breakthrough: Automated Movie Magic or Deepfake Danger?
Google DeepMind's new video-to-audio AI tool marks a significant step towards fully automated movie scenes, combining video and audio generation in a potentially game-changing way. Key Capabilities: The V2A (video-to-audio) tool can automatically generate soundtracks, sound effects, and even dialogue for AI-generated videos, using pixel data and optional text prompts: It can create atmospheric scores, timely sound effects, and dialogue that matches characters and tones. Multiple audio options can be generated for any given video, allowing for customization. The tool can generate audio based on pixels alone, with text prompts being optional. Potential Impact: This technology could revolutionize amateur filmmaking...
read Jun 20, 2024AI Comedians: Google DeepMind Study Reveals Potential and Limitations of AI-Generated Humor
In a recent study, Google DeepMind researchers asked 20 professional comedians to test an AI language model's ability to generate jokes, raising questions about the potential and limitations of AI in creative fields like comedy. Key findings: The study, which involved prompting an AI chatbot to generate jokes on various topics, yielded mixed results and insights into the current state of AI-generated humor: While the AI was able to generate jokes that followed basic structures and incorporated relevant keywords, many of the jokes lacked coherence, cleverness, and the element of surprise that is crucial to effective comedy. The comedians noted...
read Jun 19, 2024Google’s AI Breakthrough: V2A Generates Stunningly Realistic Audio for Videos, Hinting at a New Era in Content Creation
Google DeepMind's new AI tool, V2A, shows promise in generating realistic audio for videos, potentially filling a gap in current generative video technology. Here's a summary of the key points: Introducing V2A: Google's AI laboratory has unveiled a new video-to-audio tool that uses AI to create audio matching the content of a video: V2A can deliver convincing audio like footsteps or drum strokes that sync with the video's timing. The technology aims to address the lack of audio in current generative video tools like OpenAI's Sora, Luma AI's Dream Machine, and Google's Veo. Capabilities and potential: V2A demonstrates impressive audio...
read Jun 19, 2024Perplexity AI’s Search Engine: Groundbreaking Innovation or Google Imitation? Scrutiny Mounts as Similarities Emerge
Perplexity AI, a startup leveraging advanced language models to create a new search engine, has faced scrutiny over the similarity of its search results to those of Google, raising questions about the true extent of its innovation and the potential implications for the future of search. Key Takeaways: Perplexity AI's search engine, which relies on OpenAI's language models, has generated both excitement and skepticism within the tech industry: The startup claims its search engine represents a significant advancement in search technology, providing more comprehensive and conversational results compared to traditional search engines like Google. However, an analysis of Perplexity's search...
read Jun 19, 2024DeepMind’s AI Breakthrough: Generating Soundtracks and Dialogue for Videos
DeepMind unveils AI tech that generates soundtracks and dialogue for videos, potentially reshaping the AI-generated media landscape and raising concerns about the impact on creative industries. Key aspects of DeepMind's V2A technology: DeepMind's new AI model, called V2A (short for "video-to-audio"), can generate music, sound effects, and dialogue that match the characters and tone of a given video: V2A takes a description of a soundtrack paired with a video to create audio that syncs with the visuals, using DeepMind's deepfakes-combating SynthID technology to watermark the generated content. The underlying diffusion model was trained on a combination of sounds, dialogue transcripts,...
read May 23, 2024Google I/O 2024: AI Takes Center Stage, Making Everything Smarter
Google's big developer event, I/O 2024, was a showcase for artificial intelligence (AI). This technology is like a super-smart computer brain that's changing how we use our devices and the internet. Here's a breakdown of the highlights, even if you're new to AI: What is AI, Anyway? Imagine a computer that can understand what you say, see what you're looking at, and even help you get things done. That's the basic idea behind AI. Google is using AI to make their products more helpful and intuitive. Gemini: Google's AI Powerhouse Google's AI system, called Gemini, is getting even smarter. There...
read Apr 16, 2024Google Cloud Bold Moves Is AI
Expanding Access to AI Models Google is making its most capable AI models, including Gemini 1.5 Pro, available to Cloud customers and developers. Gemini 1.5 Pro shows dramatically enhanced performance and a breakthrough in long context understanding. Google is also expanding access to a new version of its open model Gemma, designed to help with code generation and other code assistance. These models are available on Vertex AI, Google Cloud's platform for customizing and managing AI models. Over 1 million developers are now using Google's generative AI across tools like AI Studio and Vertex AI. Building with the AI Hypercomputer...
read