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☆ Alphabet to unveil A.I. updates at Google I/O, showing off creative writing and coding capabilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

According to internal documents about Google I/O viewed by CNBC, the company will unveil PaLM 2, its most recent and advanced LLM. It's also performed a broad range of coding and math tests as well as creative writing tests and analysis. The updates come as competition ramps up in the AI arm's race, with Google and Microsoft racing to incorporate chat AI technology into their products. Outside of the AI sphere, Google will show off its new foldable phone, The Pixel Fold, as CNBC previously reported. Google plans to market the Pixel Fold as water-resistant and pocket-sized.

☆ Elon Musk once tried to buy DeepMind because he thought Google couldn't be trusted with advanced AI, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk tried to buy DeepMind ahead of Google because of trust issues, a new report says. Elon Musk made a last-minute attempt to buy DeepMind before Google finalized its $500 million deal for the AI lab a decade ago because he feared the search giant couldn't be trusted to create advanced AI, according to a new report. Musk's plans to buy DeepMind were informal and didn't reach DeepMind's board, the Journal reported. He has also criticized the rival AI lab he cofounded, OpenAI, for publicly rolling out tools such as ChatGPT despite issues such as bias. Musk, Google, and DeepMind did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

☆ Fact Check-Anheuser-Busch stock did not hit 52-week high after boycott over sponsorship with trans influencer
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In other posts, users said: “So, while the Qrackheads are out there shootin’ up cases of ‘woke’ Bud Light and puttin’ Coors in their Koozies instead… Anheuser-Busch stock just hit a 52-week high?! However, Reuters data shows that the stock hit a nearly-62-week high on March 31, before the boycott, and since April 1, U.S.-listed Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA shares have dipped. Graphics showing Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA stock prices can be seen on the websites of Reuters (here) and Google Finance (here). Reuters has previously debunked claims related to the Bud Light partnership with Mulvaney (here), (here), (here), (here). Anheuser-Busch Inbev SA stock did not hit a 52-week high following a boycott prompted by Bud Light’s partnership with Dylan Mulvaney.

☆ Leaked memos show Google is closing some of its cafes 'until further notice' as it cuts back on employee perks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Rosalie Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google is closing some of its cafes "until further notice," according to memos sent on Wednesday. As part of its plan to cut costs this year, Google is closing some of its cafes "until further notice." Cafes at Google's campuses are one of the search giant's most famous employee perks as workers have access to free meals. The cafes called Steam, Costa, Go!, Slice, and Deja Brew Hub, and some lunchtime food trucks, will be "closed until further notice." The cafes called Till Cafe, Java Corner, Share, Fresh Market, Cornerstone, and lunchtime food trucks, will be "closed until further notice."

☆ Google contractors say they don't have enough time to verify correct answers from the company's AI chatbot and end up guessing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Thomas Maxwell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The bot has been tested internally by Googlers, and now contractors are also testing a chatbot. Some contractors say they're not given enough time to rate the most accurate chatbot responses. Because each assigned task represents billable time, some workers say they will complete the tasks even if they realize they cannot accurately assess the chatbot responses. Google raters who work for Appen make between $14 and $14.50 an hour, despite supporting a business that generates most of its revenue from search and advertising. The group estimates that Google employs more than 200,000 people as contractors, who aren't recorded in the company's official headcount.

Multiple experts identified the presence of malware on the Pinduoduo app that exploited vulnerabilities in Android operating systems. Evidence of sophisticated malware in the Pinduoduo app comes amid intense scrutiny of Chinese-developed apps like TikTok over concerns about data security. Pinduoduo has previously rejected “the speculation and accusation that Pinduoduo app is malicious.”CNN has contacted PDD multiple times over email and phone for comment, but has not received a response. Google Play is not available in China, and Android users in the country download their apps from local stores. Engineers also found their access to big data, data sheets and the log system revoked, the source said.

☆ Potential TikTok ban sends advertisers scrambling
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Sheila Dang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

In recent discussions with ad buyers, TikTok representatives have stuck to the company's current talking points. TikTok employees have played up ongoing plans to separate the user data of Americans and store it in the country. In a section of the email titled "Can the Chinese government request TikTok U.S. user data?" Even with talk of a ban, most advertisers have not changed their spending plans on TikTok, media buyers said, because discussions of a ban have lingered since 2020 without any result. "A ban isn't a ban until it's a ban," he said.

☆ A video game company made a bot the CEO, and its stock climbed
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

NetDragon Websoft announced last year it had appointed a bot as the CEO of its flagship subsidiary. It said the bot will increase efficiency and make key decisions for the gaming company. In August, the Chinese gaming company NetDragon Websoft announced it had appointed an "AI-powered virtual humanoid robot" named Tang Yu as the chief executive of its subsidiary, Fujian NetDragon Websoft. NetDragon stock has since outperformed the Hang Seng Index, which tracks the biggest companies listed in Hong Kong, per The Hustle. NetDragon, founded in 1999, developed several multi-player games including "Eudemons Online", "Heroes Evolved" and "Conquer Online" as well as China's first online gaming portal, 17173.com.

☆ Google's working on an updated version of its medical A.I. that can answer health questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Google Health team shared updates about features coming to search, tools for building health apps and the latest in artificial intelligence-powered health research. It's designed to provide high-quality responses to medical questions. The company said the second iteration of the technology, Med-PaLM 2, consistently performed at an "expert" level on medical exam questions. Dr. Alan Karthikesalingam, a research lead at Google Health, said the company is also testing Med-PaLM's answers against responses from real doctors and clinicians. In some cases, Med-PaLM 2's answers were on a par, and even more detailed, than the answers that clinicians had provided.

☆ The Google engineer who was fired after claiming the company's chatbot is sentient says AI is the 'most powerful' tech invented 'since the atomic bomb'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Blake Lemoine, a former Google engineer, says AI is the most powerful invention since the atomic bomb. Lemoine was fired by Google in June 2022 after he claimed the company's chatbot is sentient. Now he's warning that the AI bots being developed are the "most powerful" pieces of technology invented "since the atomic bomb." Google fired Lemoine on June 22, saying he violated the company's employee confidentiality policy. A Google spokesperson told Insider in June that there is no evidence to support Lemoine's claims that the company's AI is sentient.

☆ Leaked messages show Googlers are taking out their frustrations over layoffs on its new Bard AI chatbot
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Thomas Maxwell | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently asked employees to help test and improve its Bard chatbot. Internal message boards show Googlers asking Bard to explain the company's recent moves. In one such conversation reviewed by Insider, an employee asked Bard to imagine an IT company that has laid off 12,000 employees. In another conversation shared by an employee, Bard was asked, "Should Google fire people via email with no thank you or goodbye?" That requires training the bot to steer it away from such subjects, which is why Google asked employees to lend a hand.

☆ Elon Musk, who co-founded firm behind ChatGPT, warns A.I. is 'one of the biggest risks' to civilization
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"One of the biggest risks to the future of civilization is AI," Musk told attendees at the World Government Summit in Dubai, shortly after mentioning the development of ChatGPT. "It's both positive or negative and has great, great promise, great capability," Musk said. ChatGPT "has illustrated to people just how advanced AI has become," according to Musk. "I think we need to regulate AI safety, frankly," Musk said. The billionaire has long warned of the perils of unfettered AI development.

☆ We're concerned about Alphabet’s ad-based business model due to AI competition and the DOJ's lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

It's Alphabet (GOOGL) versus Microsoft (MSFT) in artificial intelligence — and after decades of owning search, Google finds itself looking over its shoulder. The back-to-back decline last Wednesday and Thursday in Alphabet stock was the biggest two-session losing streak since March 2020. "The quality of large AI models is highly dependent on quality of data," and Google search has a huge lead given usage of Search, Chrome and Android, Jefferies analysts argued. "It is tough when you have the Justice Department saying you have a monopoly and when you have the monopoly being destroyed at the same time by Microsoft," Jim said. Alphabet's business is largely run off ads and there's a growing possibility that the improved capabilities of Bing could attract at least some users away from Google search.

☆ Sergey Brin appears to make first request in years to access Google code as AI battle heats up, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sergey Brin last month appeared to make his first request in years to access code, Forbes reported. The Google cofounder made the request on January 24 following the release of ChatGPT. It follows reports of Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai asking Larry Page and Brin for help in the AI battle. In December, Pichai called Larry Page and Brin following a "code red" following the release of ChatGPT. While Brin's code access was followed by a small technical change, some employees didn't welcome his request, Forbes reported.

☆ Alphabet set to report fourth-quarter results after the close
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Google parent Alphabet will report fourth-quarter earnings Thursday after the close of regular trading. Revenue: $76.53 billion, according to Refinitiv estimates. $76.53 billion, according to Refinitiv estimates. $8.25 billion, according to StreetAccount estimates. $7.43 billion, according to StreetAccount estimates.

☆ Google let go of 31 massage therapists at its California offices amid mass layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Aaron Mok | Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google laid off 31 massage therapists in California, according to state filings. The massage therapists were among the 12,000 employees Google let go last Friday. Out of the 12,000 employees Google let go last Friday, 31 of them were massage therapists based in California, according to WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notices that Google filed with California on January 20. Twenty-seven massage therapists were let go from Google's Mountain View office, the filings show. Google, which is known for its generous staff perks, gave employees free massages based on their performance.

☆ Google makes changes to Android in India after antitrust setbacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Aditya Kalra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Hoping to block the implementation of the CCI directives, Google had approached the Supreme Court, warning that growth of its Android ecosystem will stall. The court had also said a lower tribunal - where Google first challenged the Android directives - can continue to hear the company's appeal and must rule by March 31. The U.S. search giant also said it is updating the Android compatibility requirements to introduce changes for partners to build non-compatible variants of Android. In Europe, Google was fined for putting in place what the Commission called unlawful restrictions on Android mobile device makers. Regarding in-app billing, Google said it will start offering users choice billing to all apps and games starting next month which will help developers offer an option to choose alternative systems alongside Google's when purchasing in-app digital content.

☆ Google vows to cooperate with India antitrust authority after Android ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Aditya Kalra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

India's highest court has said a lower tribunal - where Google first challenged the Android directives - can continue to hear the company's appeal and must rule by March 31. Hoping to block the implementation of the CCI directives, Google had challenged the CCI order in the Supreme Court by warning it could stall the growth of the Android ecosystem. There it was fined for putting in place what the Commission called unlawful restrictions on Android mobile device makers. In Europe, Google made changes later including letting Android device users pick their default search engine and said device makers will be able to license the Google mobile application suite separately from the Google Search App or the Chrome browser. Some analysts say Google will now need to make similar changes in India to comply with directives.

☆ Google vows to cooperate with India's antitrust authority after Android ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Indian visitors talk on their mobile phones outside the Google stall at the India Mobile Congress in New Delhi on Sept. 27, 2017. Google said on Friday it will cooperate with India's competition authority after the country's top court upheld an antitrust order forcing the U.S. firm to change how it markets its popular Android platform. On Thursday, Google lost a challenge in the Supreme Court to block the directives, getting seven days to comply. "We remain committed to our users and partners and will cooperate with the CCI on the way forward," a Google spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters, without explaining the steps it could take. India's highest court has said a lower tribunal — where Google first challenged the Android directives — can continue to hear the company's appeal and must rule by March 31.

☆ Alphabet's health science unit cuts over 200 jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 11 (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) health science unit, Verily Life Sciences, said on Wednesday it had laid off over 200 employees, or about 15% of its workforce, marking the first time in at least six years when Alphabet or its affiliate has announced job cuts. The move follows similar retrenchment exercises in corporate America, concentrated among technology firms and banks, as companies look to curtail spending in a tough economy. Verily, which was born out of the Google X research program in 2015, raised $1 billion from Alphabet in September last year. Access, an Alphabet unit that houses Google Fiber, laid off some employees in 2016. Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

NEW DELHI, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Google has filed a legal challenge in India's Supreme Court to block a ruling by the country's antitrust watchdog that will force the U.S. company to change how it markets its Android platform, court records showed on Saturday. The challenge comes after Google suffered a setback on Wednesday when an appeals tribunal rejected its request to block the antitrust ruling. The company argued that implementation of the CCI's directives will hurt its long-standing business model and consumer interests. Supreme Court records show Google filed a challenge against the tribunal ruling on Saturday. Google's Supreme Court filing seeks to put the CCI decison on hold while its appeal is heard, said one person familiar with the matter on Saturday.

☆ Crypto had a catastrophic 2022. Here are 3 reasons it will bounce back again, according to analysts.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Emilia David | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Analysts from Bernstein laid out why they're still bullish on the crypto space. But Bernstein analysts Gautam Chhugani and Manas Agarwal offer crypto true believers a few reasons to keep the faith. In a note published on January 3, they wrote that despite a catastrophic 2022, the larger crypto ecosystem still has potential. Much of the crypto space remains decentralized. Chhugani and Agarwal said FTX's collapse had hastened DeFi adoption, which makes DeFi a bright spot in crypto investing, according to crypto VCs.

☆ How AI That Powers Chatbots and Search Queries Could Discover New Drugs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Karen Hao | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In their search for new disease-fighting medicines, drug makers have long employed a laborious trial-and-error process to identify the right compounds. But what if artificial intelligence could predict the makeup of a new drug molecule the way Google figures out what you’re searching for, or email programs anticipate your replies—like “Got it, thanks”? That’s the aim of a new approach that uses an AI technique known as natural language processing—the same technology that enables OpenAI’s ChatGPT to generate human-like responses—to analyze and synthesize proteins, which are the building blocks of life and of many drugs. The approach exploits the fact that biological codes have something in common with search queries and email texts: Both are represented by a series of letters.

☆ This millennial took a gamble during the pandemic. Now her startup has raised over $225 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"A lot of people actually told us that it's a very bold move to actually open an offline presence, while everybody was closing their offline stores [during the pandemic]," she added. But that was a "well-calculated" move for Social Bella, which operates Sociolla. Indiana, the co-founder and chief marketing officer of Social Bella, tells CNBC Make It how she took her Jakarta-based startup to the next level. The makeup junkie realized that in Australia, she had easy access to a wide range of beauty products from international brands. On top of that, the business also operates Soco, which Social Bella says is Indonesia's largest online review service for beauty products.

☆ Meet the 'stone-cold-brilliant' Apple exec heading up Apple TV+, Sports, gaming and more, who insiders think could succeed Eddy Cue
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The former Time Warner Cable exec is driving Apple's subscription businesses including TV+, Sports, and Apple One. But inside and outside the tech giant, people are eyeing one cable TV alum who is being positioned for bigger things under Eddy Cue, the company's longtime Services SVP. As VP, Services, Stern is responsible for running strategy and operations for multiple growth businesses inside Apple. Here's how Stern ascended from cable TV to the top of the tech giant, and what his moves mean for the future of Apple Services. He appeared on stage in 2019 as the frontman for the Apple TV app, in a pair of dark-wash jeans and an untucked gray button-down.

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