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☆ Google says court order on Disney app fee in India temporary
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Disney in India has gone to court in what is the latest and most high-profile challenge to Google's policy of imposing a "service fee" of 11-26% on in-app payments. The service charge was introduced after an antitrust directive ruled against Google's earlier 15-30% fee and forced Google to allow third-party payments. An Indian court on Tuesday said Google should receive a lower 4% fee for in-app purchases from Disney+ Hotstar, and cannot remove Disney's app from its India app store, in what is a significant challenge to Google's payments business model. Disney, which runs the popular Disney+ Hotstar streaming app in India, has challenged Google's new billing system in a court in India's Tamil Nadu state. Its lawyers had argued Google was threatening to remove the Hotstar app if it didn't comply with new payments system.

Persons: Aditya Kalra, Tanvi Mehta, Rama Venkat, Nivedita Bhattacharjee Organizations: NEW, Google, Disney, Thomson Locations: NEW DELHI, BENGALURU, India, India's Tamil Nadu, New Delhi, Bengaluru

☆ Google will block Canadian news outlets from search results in the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Google told the Canadian government it would block articles from Canada-based news outlets from appearing in search results and other products in the country after the passage of a new bill that would require Google to pay a fee to news companies. The bill would have brought in $329 million for Canadian newsrooms annually, Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated, a revenue stream that now seems unlikely to materialize. It requires companies such as Meta and Google to pay media outlets when they link to news in search or feeds. From 2008 to 2018, 216 Canadian newsrooms closed their doors, according to researchers. Meta already said it would begin blocking Canadian news outlets from appearing on Facebook or Instagram after the bill's passage.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Pablo Rodriguez, Mercier, Kent Walker, Meta, It's, Justin Trudeau, We're, Walker Organizations: Americas, U.S . Chamber, Commerce, Google, Google's News, Discover, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, newsrooms, Honoré, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Los Angeles , California, Canada, Australia

☆ Google killed its Iris augmented reality smart glasses as it shifts attention to building AR software
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google has killed off a project to build a pair of augmented reality glasses it had been working on for several years. In 2020, the company announced it purchased North, a Canadian startup that made AR glasses. Since shelving the Iris glasses, Google has focused on creating software platforms for AR that it hopes to license to other manufacturers building headsets. Two employees said it's possible Google may resurrect the Iris glasses one day and that some teams are still experimenting with AR technologies. Other teams were moved to work on the software platform and Samsung partnership, they said.

Persons: Iris, Google's, Clay Bavor, Betty, catchup Organizations: Google, Samsung, VR, Employees, Apple, Bloomberg Locations: Canadian

☆ Google's new Pixel Tablet is perfect for smart home devotees
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In this article GOOGL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTGoogle's new Pixel Tablet on its default Home screen. CNBCI've been breaking out of my usual wheelhouse and getting hands-on with Google's new Pixel Tablet for the last few days. What's good Hub Mode, Hub Mode, Hub Mode. For example, you could find a recipe from the couch, tote your Pixel Tablet to the kitchen and get to cooking. Google's Pixel Tablet in Chrome.

Persons: CNBC I've, It's, hasn't, that's Organizations: CNBC, Google, Apple

☆ Google launches a new AI-powered tool that allows shoppers to see how clothes look on different models
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Google announced new AI features to enhance users' online shopping experience. Online shoppers will be able to virtually see how items look on various models. Google selected models from sizes XXS to 4XL with different skin tones, ethnicities, and bodies. Google has introduced a new feature that allows online shoppers to try clothes on different models. A longstanding drawback of online shopping is the inability to see how an item actually looks on you before buying it.

Organizations: Google, Morning Locations: 4XL

☆ Google is using AI to change how you shop
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Samantha Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The company on Wednesday announced a new virtual try-on feature that uses generative AI, the same technology underpinning a new crop of chatbots and image creation tools, to show clothes on a wide selection of body types. Google is also launching a feature that helps users find similar clothing pieces in different colors, patterns or styles, from merchants across the web, using a visual matching algorithm powered by AI. Google's new virtual try-on feature uses generative AI to show clothes on a wide selection of body types. Google isn’t the only e-commerce company blending generative AI into the shopping experience. And eBay recently rolled out an AI tool to help sellers generate product listing descriptions.

Persons: Bard Organizations: CNN, Google, Wednesday, XL, eBay

☆ How to talk about A.I. like an insider
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

AI ethics describes the desire to prevent AI from causing immediate harm, and often focuses on questions like how AI systems collect and process data and the possibility of bias in areas like housing or employment. AI safety describes the longer-term fear that AI will progress so suddenly that a super-intelligent AI might harm or even eliminate humanity. Alignment is the practice of tweaking an AI model so that it produces the outputs its creators desired. Inference — The act of using an AI model to make predictions or generate text, images, or other content. Large language model — A kind of AI model that underpins ChatGPT and Google's new generative AI features.

☆ Google's newest A.I. model uses nearly five times more text data for training than its predecessor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Google's new large language model, which the company announced last week, uses almost five times as much training data as its predecessor from 2022, allowing its to perform more advanced coding, math and creative writing tasks, CNBC has learned. PaLM 2, the company's new general-use large language model (LLM) that was unveiled at Google I/O, is trained on 3.6 trillion tokens, according to internal documentation viewed by CNBC. Google's previous version of PaLM, which stands for Pathways Language Model, was released in 2022 and trained on 780 billion tokens. PaLM 2, according to internal documents, is trained on 340 billion parameters, an indication of the complexity of the model. The initial PaLM was trained on 540 billion parameters.

☆ This OpenAI channel is full of people sharing GPT prompts for everything from applying to jobs to learning a language
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

There's a "prompt-library" channel on OpenAI's Discord server, where users are sharing tips. They're crafting GPT prompts to help elicit better responses to queries, or create writing and code. (There are sample prompts that help users get ChatGPT's help to prepare for interviews, for instance.) Other prompts help with learning new skills, like a language. Others seem to be for perhaps less above-board uses, like how to get advanced versions of OpenAI's advanced tools to produce content that could outsmart AI-detectors.

☆ OpenAI is rolling out a game-changing feature to ChatGPT this week that could revolutionize how we use the internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new web-browsing feature for ChatGPT Plus users that will allow them to access real-time information. OpenAI, the company behind the AI chatbot, announced it will be rolling out new features to ChatGPT Plus users this week. Users who pay for ChatGPT Plus, which uses model GPT-4, will have access to a web-browsing feature that will provide up-to-date information. Some ChatGPT Plus users will have access to plug-ins that can integrate into existing platforms, as shown in this screenshot. ChatGPT Plus users will be able to use these features by clicking on their ChatGPT profile, pressing "Settings," then going to the "Beta features" tabs.

☆ Google's new A.I. search could hurt traffic to websites, publishers worry
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Instead of "ten blue links," the phrase that describes Google's usual search results, Google will show some users paragraphs of AI-generated text and a handful of links at the top of the results page. But website publishers are already worried if it becomes Google's default way of presenting search results, it could hurt them by sending fewer visitors to their sites and keeping them on Google.com. Rutledge Daugette, CEO of TechRaptor, a site focusing on gaming news and reviews, said Google's move was made without considering the interests of publishers and Google's AI amounts to lifting content. According to Search Engine Land, a news website that closely tracks changes to Google's search engine, the AI-generated results are displayed above the organic search results in testing so far. CNBC previously reported Google's plans to redesign its results page to promote generated AI content.

☆ Google's new AI-powered search is going to look very different
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Google's new AI-driven search will look and feel different from the familiar list of search results. Google's classic search engine is getting an AI makeover. For over two decades, the search site has been defined by a plain search bar and a list of results. At its 2023 Google I/O event on Wednesday, the tech giant unveiled an AI-driven search engine with the overall goal of making "search smarter and searching simpler." On top of the more familiar list of search results, there will be an AI-generated summary response answering users' questions.

☆ How to get Google's new AI tool to write your emails
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Aaron Mok | Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google is launching "Help me write" an AI-tool that can generate responses to emails in Gmail. Users can deploy the tool to request a refund for a cancelled flight, for example. The tool also includes a "Refine" feature that can tweak the generated message's length and tone. In a demonstration of the tool, Pichai used "Help me write" to respond to an email saying that the recipient's flight got cancelled. These features, which will be available to "trusted testers," will eventually be part of Google's "Duet AI for Workspace" service, according to Pappu.

Leading AI developers, including Anthropic, Google, Hugging Face, NVIDIA Corp (NVDA.O), OpenAI, and Stability AI, will participate in a public evaluation of their AI systems. Shortly after Biden announced his reelection bid, the Republican National Committee produced a video featuring a dystopian future during a second Biden term, which was built entirely with AI imagery. Such political ads are expected to become more common as AI technology proliferates. In February, Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to eliminate bias in their AI use. The Biden administration has also released an AI Bill of Rights and a risk management framework.

☆ A senior software engineer dies after falling from the 14th floor of Google's NYC headquarters
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A software engineer died after falling from the 14th floor of Google's headquarters, NYPD confirmed. Police responded to a 911 call on Thursday reporting an unconscious person lying on the ground. The 31-year-old senior software engineer's name is being withheld pending family notification. A 31-year-old senior software engineer has died after falling from the 14th floor of Google's New York City office building, the New York Post first reported. The name of the engineer hasn't been released pending family notification, the NYPD said.

☆ This is Google’s new folding phone
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Just a few days ahead of its product launch, Google unveiled an early look at its first foldable smartphone. In a video posted to Twitter and YouTube, the company teased a Pixel phone with a vertical hinge that can be opened to reveal a tablet-like display. According to ABI Research, foldable and flexible displays made up about 0.7% of the smartphone market in 2021, and in 2022 expected to fall just shy of 2%. Google's new Pixel Fold smartphone From Google StoreHigh price points have limited consumer adoption, too. The Pixel Fold is rumored to start at $1,700.

☆ Google employees who tested its ChatGPT rival Bard reportedly called it 'cringeworthy' and a 'pathological liar,' and said the AI's responses could 'result in serious injury or death'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google employees who tested Bard called it "cringeworthy" and a "pathological liar," per Bloomberg. Google employees tasked with testing their employer's AI chatbot Bard were not all that pleased by what they found, according to Bloomberg. After testing the bot, one employee reportedly called Bard "cringeworthy," and another called it a "pathological liar," according to screenshots of internal discussions obtained by Bloomberg. Google employees called the announcement "rushed" and "botched." Read Bloomberg's full report on Google employees' responses to Bard here

☆ Indian startups go to court to stop Google's new in-app billing system
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Aditya Kalra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, April 11 (Reuters) - A group of Indian startups has asked a court to suspend Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) Google's new in-app billing fee system until the country's antitrust body investigates the U.S. firm for alleged non-compliance with its directives, a legal filing showed. The 744-page filing, seen by Reuters, asks the court to "keep the implementation of Google’s UCB in abeyance" until CCI hears the complaint. The new service fee system, it says, supports investments in Google Play app store and the Android mobile operating system, ensuring it distributes it for free, and covers developer tools and analytic services. But Indian startups argue Google's UCB system still imposes a "service fee" of 11-26%, compared with the earlier in-app payment system that charged a fee of 15-30%. The new system is "cloaked as another version" of Google's earlier system, the ADIF filing stated.

☆ Google Flights will pay you the difference if a ticket gets cheaper after you book — here's how to use the new tool
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google Flights launched a "price guarantee" program for some flights departing from the US. If you buy an eligible ticket and the price drops afterward, Google will pay you the difference. Through its new "price guarantee" pilot program launched in April, Google Flights promises to pay travelers the difference if their ticket price drops anytime after booking. If your ticket price drops anytime between booking and take-0ff, you'll receive a notification after your first flight. Within 48 hours, the difference should be deposited in your Google Pay account — just make sure to use the same email for Google Pay and Google Flights and download the Google Pay app.

☆ Google Bard is here. Catch up on everything you need to know about the ChatGPT alternative.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Google debuted its AI chatbot Bard this week with a nod to the unpredictability of AI chatbot responses. Bard works like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Microsoft's Bing chatbot, but can give multiple responses to a prompt. Google had also moved to reassure users this week that Bard "is not trained on Gmail data," according to a tweet. Here's how it worksGoogle's new Bard chatbot told an AI expert it was trained using Gmail data. Google asked staff to spend time teaching its Bard chatbot to write like a human.

☆ Google's new Bard chatbot told an AI expert it was trained using Gmail data. The company says that's inaccurate and Bard 'will make mistakes.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Google Bard started rolling out this week, and it's off to a bit of a rocky start. The AI chatbot told one user that it was trained on data from Gmail, among other sources. AI expert Kate Crawford posted an exchange she had with the new AI chatbot in which she asks where Bard's training dataset comes from. "Anyone a little concerned that Bard is saying its training dataset includes... Gmail? It is not trained on Gmail data," the company said in a tweet.

☆ Google's new AI bot Bard just debuted and it's already warning about its creator's 'monopoly' over ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google just dropped Bard on Tuesday, and the AI bot is already game to even take on the tech giant. "12:11"As we've said, Bard can sometimes give inaccurate or inappropriate information that doesn't represent Google's views and Bard should not respond in a way that endorses a particular viewpoint on subjective topics," the statement said. Insider repeated Wong's question in our own test of Bard, and received similar responses — Bard offers different answers to the same question, called "drafts," as Insider previously reported. In multiple versions of its responses, Bard repeated that "I would side with the Justice Department in this case." AI chatbots can sometimes deliver factually incorrect information, experts including OpenAI's own chief technology officer Mira Murati have said.

Google (GOOGL), which for years ranked as the top company to work for in the United States, laid off thousands of workers by e-mail. During her early years there, she worked in marketing and became known as the “The Bard of Google” for the internal emails she sent celebrating the company’s culture. Google employee affected by January layoffs“The problem was, suddenly, you didn’t work for a company that was sending stuff to space or building autonomous cars,” Rout said. Hundreds of Google employees in Switzerland staged a walkout last week to protest layoffs, partly out of frustration with the lack of transparency. About a month before the January layoffs, one former employee said Google painted “You Belong” on one of the walls in their working area.

☆ Googlers are begrudgingly testing Bard and making memes out of their new task.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Since it's a tough time in the tech industry right now, I hope this resonates with some of you, too. Thomas Maxwell/InsiderGooglers are begrudgingly testing their company's ChatGPT competitor. CEO Sundar Pichai asked every employee to spend multiple hours testing Google's new chatbot Bard. They were tasked with improving Bard by asking it questions and flagging bad answers, in addition to their normal responsibilities. Some made memes from the conversations they've had with Bard, continuing a trend of internally mocking the chatbot.

[1/2] Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes questions from media, at the SEIU Healthcare union office in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada February 22, 2023. Trudeau, speaking to reporters in Toronto, said the blocking of news in Canada was an issue "bothering" him. Facebook has also raised concerns about the legislation and warned it might be forced to block news-sharing on its platform. The legislation passed Canada's House of Commons in December and is currently in the unelected upper chamber of the parliament, which rarely blocks legislation the lower house clears. Both eventually struck deals with Australian media companies after a series of amendments to the legislation were offered.

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