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☆ Google restricts election-related queries for its Gemini chatbot
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, speaks on artificial intelligence during a Bruegel think tank conference in Brussels, Belgium, on Jan. 20, 2020. Google announced it will restrict the types of election-related queries that users can ask its Gemini chatbot, adding it has already rolled out the changes in the U.S. and in India, where voters will head to the polls this spring. "Out of an abundance of caution on such an important topic, we have begun to roll out restrictions on the types of election-related queries for which Gemini will return responses," Google wrote in a blog post on Tuesday. "We take our responsibility for providing high-quality information for these types of queries seriously, and are continuously working to improve our protections." A Google spokesperson told CNBC that the changes are in line with the company's planned approach for elections.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Gemini, Google's DeepMind, Josh Becker, screenshotting, Pichai, Sissie Hsiao, Bard Organizations: Google, CNBC, Gemini, Mobile, Democratic, Microsoft, Amazon Locations: Brussels, Belgium, U.S, India, Barcelona, California

☆ Google’s Gemini AI picture generator to relaunch in a 'few weeks' following mounting criticism of inaccurate images
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Google introduced the image generator earlier this month through Gemini, the company's main suite of AI models. "We are hoping to have that back online very shortly in the next couple of weeks, few weeks." "The Gemini debacle showed how AI ethics *wasn't* being applied with the nuanced expertise necessary," Margaret Mitchell, chief ethics scientist at Hugging Face and former co-leader of Google's AI ethics group, wrote on X. On Sunday, a text-based user query went viral, asking the Gemini chatbot whether Adolf Hitler or Elon Musk's tweeting of memes had a greater negative impact on society. WATCH: Google's Gemini chatbot is 'evolutionary not revolutionary'

Persons: Demis Hassabis, Hassabis, Bard, OpenAI's, Gemini, Margaret Mitchell, Sundar Pichai, Pichai, Adolf Hitler, Elon Musk's, Elon Musk, Elon, Hitler, Sissie Hsiao Organizations: Google, Gemini, Mobile, Microsoft Locations: Barcelona, German, British, France, ChatGPT

☆ CNBC Daily Open: U.S. CEOs feeling better about the economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Milestone crossedThe benchmark S&P 500 hit the 5,000 level for the first time on Thursday, but closed just under the milestone. Japan's zombie problemsDespite strong performance since the beginning of 2023, Japan's stock market faces several issues over zombie firms. [Pro] Bypassing the Magnificent 7Morningstar's chief markets strategist David Sekera highlighted that the Magnificent Seven stocks "are starting to run out of steam."

Persons: Dow, Sissie Hsiao, Bard, David Sekera Organizations: CNBC, Nasdaq, Google, Bard, Gemini, Bank of Japan

☆ CNBC Daily Open: U.S. CEOs turn positive on the economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

US President Joe Biden speaks about the economy and the deal between the United Auto Workers (UAW) Union and the big-three automakers, in Belvidere, Illinois, on November 9, 2023. This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Nikkei fresh highsJapan's Nikkei hit new highs on Friday, while most markets in the region were either fully or partially closed for Lunar New Year holidays. Biden pushes backU.S. President Joe Biden in a White House address said his "memory is fine," and disputed a special counsel's claims that he willfully retained classified material at his Delaware home.

Persons: Joe Biden, Dow, Sissie Hsiao, Bard, Biden, Donald Trump, David Sekera Organizations: United Auto Workers, UAW, Union, CNBC, Nikkei, Nasdaq, Google, Bard, Gemini, Bank of Japan, Nevada Republican, NBC Locations: Belvidere , Illinois, Delaware

☆ The big business of the Super Bowl, from competing advertisers to the ultrawealthy networking
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In today's big story, we're looking at the big business of the Super Bowl, from advertisers to the ultraweal thy . Developing and filming a Super Bowl ad typically runs 50% to 60% more than a regular one. AdvertisementFor some first-time Super Bowl advertisers, the commercial is a jumping-off point for a bigger campaign, writes BI’s Lauren Johnson. The Super Bowl is also a calendar staple for the ultrawealthy, writes BI’s Madeline Berg. A record 68 million Americans are projected to bet $23.1 billion on the Super Bowl, according to the American Gaming Association.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Patrick Smith, Emily Stewart, that’s, Ryan Joe, Lara O’Reilly, Ryan, BI’s Lauren Johnson, RYU, BI’s Madeline Berg, Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch —, VistaJet, BI’s Taylor Rains, Grace Kay, it’s, BI’s Juliana Kaplan, Cork Gaines, Usher, David Rosenberg, Quants, Getty, David Butow Here’s, Tesla, Sissie Hsiao, Bard, Gemini, Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi, Lucas Jackson, Dan DeFrancesco, Hallam Bullock, Jordan Parker Erb, George Glover Organizations: Business, Service, ign, Super, Elon, Private, American Gaming Association, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Renaissance Technologies, Man, AHL, UBS, Google, Reuters, Merchants, Conference, PepsiCo Locations: Sun Valley, YOLO, New York, London

☆ Google's AI product lead explains why the company is doing a 'clean-up' and renaming everything 'Gemini'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Google is renaming its AI assistant Bard to Gemini. It's also finally giving users access to Gemini Ultra, its most powerful AI model yet. "It's all sort of a clean-up and embracing of Gemini as our AI brand," Hsiao told BI on Wednesday. It's like, there's a Gemini model, but the product is Bard. A version of Gemini has powered the Bard chatbot since then, although Google stopped short of releasing the most powerful Gemini model, known as Ultra.

Persons: Bard, Gemini, It's, Sissie Hsiao, —, Hsiao, Bard chatbot, OpenAI's ChatGPT, it's Organizations: Google, Gemini, Service, Business

☆ Google rebrands Bard AI to Gemini and launches a new app and subscription
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Google on Thursday announced a major rebrand of Bard, its artificial intelligence chatbot and assistant, including a fresh app and subscription options. Google also announced new ways for consumers to access the AI tool: As of Thursday, Android users can download a new dedicated Android app for Gemini, and iPhone users can use Gemini within the Google app on iOS. Likewise, chief executives at tech giants from Microsoft to Amazon underlined their commitment to building AI agents as productivity tools. Google's Gemini changes are a first step to "building a true AI assistant," Sissie Hsiao, a vice president at Google and general manager for Google Assistant and Bard, told reporters on a call Wednesday. Currently, though, the tools, including Gemini, are largely limited to tasks such as summarizing, generating to-do lists or helping to write code.

Persons: Bard, OpenAI's, Sundar Pichai, Pichai, Sissie Hsiao, There's, Google's Hsiao, Hsiao Organizations: Google, Bard, Microsoft, GE, Spotify, Pfizer, Gemini Locations: Korean

☆ What's Google's most 'advanced' ChatGPT challenger like? It'll cost you $19.99 a month to find out.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Camilo Fonseca | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Gemini Advanced is the newest generative AI system to hit the market as part of Google's new AI Premium package, which is available for $19.99 a month. Gemini Advanced is built off the back of Google's Bard chatbot, which was launched last year and is free to use. Gemini Advanced is available in 40 languages online, and will also have mobile functionality via the Google app on iOS. Google's efforts come in the wake of the generative AI craze pioneered by ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI. And Grok, developed by Elon Musk's xAI, is available to premium subscribers on X, formerly Twitter, for $16 per month.

Persons: —, Google's Bard chatbot, Bard, Sissie Hsiao, BI's Hugh Langley, OpenAI, Rufus, Elon Musk's, Google's Bard Organizations: Service, Google, Business, Gmail, ChatGPT, OpenAI, Microsoft, Wall Street Locations: Google's

Google is immediately releasing a standalone Gemini app for smartphones running on its Android software. Photos You Should See View All 15 ImagesThe Gemini app initially will be released in the U.S. in English before expanding to the Asia-Pacific region next week, with versions in Japanese and Korean. Besides the free version of Gemini, Google will be selling an advanced service accessible through the new app for $20 a month. Google is offering a free two-month trial of Gemini Advanced to encourage people to try it out. In a blog post, Google CEO Sundar Puchai predicted the technology underlying Gemini Advanced will be able to outthink even the smartest people when tackling many complex topics.

Persons: Bard, Siri, “, Sissie Hsiao, ”, Sundar Puchai, —, ” Pichai, Satya Nadella, ” Nadella, It’ll Organizations: FRANCISCO, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Gemini, Samsung, Inc, OpenAI Locations: U.S, Asia, Pacific, View , California, Mumbai, India, Europe

☆ Google has quietly pushed back the launch of next-gen AI model Gemini until next year, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The launch of Google's anticipated AI model, Gemini, has been delayed, The Information reported. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementThe world will have to wait a little longer before we can experience the launch of Google's most complex artificial intelligence model to date. Though already Google has its own generative AI model called Bard, ChatGPT has so far enjoyed stronger consumer awareness — but analysts argue that could change when Gemini finally launches.

Persons: —, Gemini, I've, Sissie Hsiao, Google's, Bard, Hsiao, ChatGPT Organizations: Service, Google, Business, Gemini Locations: New York, Washington, California

☆ Google VP teases Gemini's multimodal future: 'I've seen some pretty amazing things.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

She also discussed how the company is rethinking the future of Google Assistant. AdvertisementAdvertisementThere's a lot of pressure on Google right now. A key person in the middle of all this is Sissie Hsiao, Google's VP and general manager of Bard and Google Assistant. If it disappoints, it will embolden critics who say Google has fallen behind. Google Assistant was the answer, and in 2021 Google reshuffled its search team to put Hsiao in charge of its voice assistant.

Persons: Bard, —, OpenAI's, Sundar Pichai, Demis Hassabis, Sissie Hsiao, Google's, She's, Hsiao, Gemini, I've, OpenAI, Josh Edelson, Getty Hsiao, It's, it's Organizations: Google, Service, Gemini, Microsoft Locations: Bard

☆ Google supercharges its Assistant voice app with AI, hinting at how the company sees the future of chatbots
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Google is supercharging its Assistant app with Bard's capabilities. The new "Assistant with Bard" is designed to merge the voice assistant with the chatbot. The company announced Wednesday that it was planning to bring its Bard AI chatbot into the Assistant app and experience, starting on mobile devices. The result, a new experience Google has named "Assistant with Bard," sees Google making its existing voice assistant more personalized by effectively placing Bard inside it. If users opt in, Assistant with Bard is expected to become the new experience when interacting with Assistant on Android or when using the Google app on iPhone.

Persons: Bard, Sissie Hsiao, —, chatbot, Hsiao, Alexa, Apple's Siri, Satya Nadella, It's Organizations: Google, Service, Android, Apple, LLMs

☆ Google to combine generative AI chatbot with virtual assistant
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Max A. Cherney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 4 (Reuters) - Google on Wednesday announced plans to add generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to its virtual assistant, and a company executive told Reuters the AI would allow the assistant to do things like help people plan a trip or catch up on emails and then ask follow-up questions. The Alphabet (GOOGL.O) subsidiary said during its hardware event in New York that it plans to add generative AI features from its Bard chatbot into Google's version of a virtual assistant, that aims to provide personalized help with reasoning and generative capabilities on mobile devices. "(A) whole task is done through a couple of simple questions that you're asking your assistant, which is, we think, a very, very powerful concept," Sissie Hsiao vice president, Google assistant and Bard said in an interview with Reuters. Google and other tech companies have been racing to build some form of generative AI into new or existing products. It will not include revenue generating features, Hsiao said, because Google is still in the "learning phase" with generative AI.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Bard, Sissie Hsiao, Hsiao, Max A, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Google, Wednesday, Reuters, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: New York, San Francisco

☆ Pixel 8: Google unveils new phones built for 'the generative AI era'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The 6.3-inch Pixel 8 and the 6.7-inch Pixel 8 Pro comes with a brighter display, new camera system and longer-lasting battery life. Generative AI refers to a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content, such as text and images, in response to user prompts. Caitlin Ochs/ReutersGoogle showed off a handful of photo features coming to its Pixel line, including Magic Editor which uses generative AI to reposition and resize a subject. “You don’t really need Google AI for that.”Smarter Google AssistantThe company said Google Assistant will now sound more realistic when it engages with callers. Google is also bringing the capabilities of its Bard AI chatbot to Google Assistant, so it will be able to do more than set an alarm or tell the weather.

Persons: Caitlin Ochs, Reece Hayden, ”, Hayden, Thomas Husson, Forrester, ” Husson, chatbot, it’s, ” Sissie Hsiao, Bard, “ Smart Organizations: CNN, Google, Apple, Samsung, Reuters, ABI Research, Reuters Google, Pixel Locations: New York City, U.S

☆ Google is turning its Bard AI chatbot into a personal assistant by tapping into products like Gmail and Maps, giving it a key advantage in the AI race
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Also, if granted permission, it can access information from users' personal content from Gmail, Docs, and Drive to summarize documents. Google says you can ask Bard to find and bring together information from relevant emails. You could ask Bard to find a document you previously created of your bucket-list restaurants and then show their locations on a map. Hsiao told Insider the information taken from apps such as Gmail or Docs would not be used for advertising or for training Google's AI models. Google has already rolled out AI-assistant features to its Workspace apps and has clarified how it plans to keep weaving AI into its most popular products .

Persons: Bard, OpenAI, Sissie Hsiao, Hsiao, Google's, ChatGPT Organizations: Google, Service, YouTube, Google's, Gemini Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Google rolls out a major expansion of its Bard AI chatbot
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Google’s Bard artificial intelligence chatbot is evolving. The new features mark the biggest update to Google’s Bard in the six months since it was widely released to the public. With the new extensions, Bard will now pull information from YouTube, Google Maps, Flights and Hotels by default. Bard users can opt to disable these extensions at any time. The double check feature is designed to counter a common AI issue called “hallucinations,” where an AI tool confidently makes a statement that sounds real, but isn’t actually based in fact.

Persons: Bard, OpenAI, Sissie Hsiao, Google, chatbot, isn’t, “ We’re, ” Hsiao, ” Bard, It’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, YouTube, Google, Microsoft, CNN, “ Locations: New York

☆ Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks on-stage during the Google I/O keynote session at the Google Developers Conference in Mountain View, California, on May 10, 2023. Google wants to "supercharge" its seven-year-old smart assistant using new advancements in generative artificial intelligence, as part of the latest major reorganization of the Assistant unit. A portion of the Assistant team has already started working on the efforts, Ranjan added. As a part of the reorganization, executives announced a dozen changes to the company's "Speech" team, which oversees voice commands. Some members of the Speech team will focus their efforts specifically on Bard, she wrote.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Peeyush Ranjan, Ranjan, Apple's Siri, Alexa, We've, Axios, Francoise Beaufays, Sissie Hsiao, Bard, Beaufays, Jennifer Rodstrom, we're, It's, Hsiao, OpenAI's, Microsoft Bing Organizations: Google, Google Developers, CNBC, Employees, Microsoft Locations: Mountain View , California

☆ As generative AI dominates Google's product lineup, employees ask leaders: What's going on with Assistant and Nest?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Hugh Langley | Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Generative AI was undoubtedly the star of Google's I/O developer conference. Google also recently reshuffled its Assistant team to focus more on Bard, CNBC previously reported. CEO Sundar Pichai said there was "a reason" the Assistant team was also working on Bard, before handing it to Sissie Hsiao, Google's head of Assistant and Bard. Google's voice concierge wasn't the only product MIA from I/O – Nest, the company's brand of smart home speakers. Google's Nest manager Sameer Bansal said in response that Nest is a "core part" of the device strategy.

☆ Google Says Search Enters New Era With Conversational AI Features
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Miles Kruppa | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Google’s new AI chatbot Bard is more restricted than OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing. Google’s Sissie Hsiao discusses it all with WSJ’s Joanna Stern. Photo illustration: Preston Jessee for The Wall Street JournalGoogle unveiled conversational features for its search engine and made its chatbot Bard widely available for English speakers, a show of force as it races Microsoft and a growing number of startups to win over consumers with artificial-intelligence products. Calling the moment a new era in search, Google introduced a set of features—called Search Generative Experience—that use AI programs to provide lengthier summaries in response to a range of queries. The features invite follow-up questions, opening a new interface allowing users to hold conversations with the search engine.

☆ Google Plans to Make Search More ‘Personal’ with AI Chat and Video Clips
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Miles Kruppa | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Google’s new AI chatbot Bard is more restricted than OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing. Google’s Sissie Hsiao discusses it all with WSJ’s Joanna Stern in an exclusive interview. Photo illustration: Preston Jessee for The Wall Street JournalGoogle is shifting the way it presents search results to incorporate conversations with artificial intelligence, along with more short video and social-media posts, a departure from the list of website results that has made it the dominant search engine for decades. The changes represent a response to big shifts in the way people access information on the internet, including the emergence of AI bots like ChatGPT. They would nudge the service further away from its traditional format, known informally as the “10 blue links,” according to company documents and people familiar with the matter.

☆ Google reshuffles virtual assistant unit with focus on Bard A.I. technology
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Google is reshuffling the reporting structure of its virtual assistant unit — called Assistant — to focus more on Bard, the company's new artificial intelligence chat technology. In a memo to employees on Wednesday, titled "Changes to Assistant and Bard teams," Sissie Hsiao, vice president and lead of Google Assistant's business unit, announced changes to the organization that show the unit heavily prioritizing Bard. Mao held the position of vice president of engineering for Google Assistant and "helped shape the Assistant we have today," Hsiao wrote. As part of Wednesday's change, Google Assistant engineering vice president Amar Subramanya will now lead engineering for the Bard team, the email said. Trevor Strohman, who previously led engineering efforts for Bard, will continue as an “Area Tech Lead” for Bard, reporting to Hsiao.

☆ Google opens Bard A.I. for testing by users in U.S. and UK
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

After months of public chatter about emerging chatbots powered by artificial intelligence, Google is opening its Bard AI platform to a limited number of users. The company is officially allowing people in the U.S. and U.K. to sign up for its generative AI product at bard.google.com. The post, titled "Try Bard and share your feedback," was authored by Sissie Hsiao, product vice president, and Eli Collins, research vice president. We've learned a lot so far by testing Bard, and the next critical step in improving it is to get feedback from more people." Google expects the testing phase to help it understand how often people engage with Bard.

☆ A Google VP shares her favorite interview question to get an honest reaction from candidates — and how to answer it
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

When interviewing as a young computer scientist, she was asked a question that had a lasting impact. One of my favorite aspects of leading the Google Assistant team is meeting with prospective candidates during the interview process. After 16 years at Google, I've had the opportunity to find my personal interview style. It was a question that had a lasting impact on me, and one that's become my favorite to ask now. In all my years of conducting interviews, I've never heard a "canned" response to this question — it elicits genuine, honest reactions.

☆ I'm a VP at Google who's been with the company for 16 years. Here's what I look for in job candidates and the best way to stand out in an interview.
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-24 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sissie Hsiao is the general manager and vice president of Google Assistant. Since I began leading the Google Assistant team over a year ago, I've been inspired yet again by the power of our technology. Google Assistant was launched six years ago, and it's still very nascent and constantly adapting to make people's lives easier. So when I interview candidates, I want to know if they've used the product. As you answer the tough questions, think about how people all over the world would benefit from product innovation.

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