Technology giant Google is redoubling its commitment to artificial intelligence by putting in place the most advanced versions of the technology on its user-focused platforms.
Google, whose parent company Alphabet is the world's largest internet company, is introducing generative AI updates across its portfolio, including for Google Meet, Google Slides and Google Chat at its annual Cloud Next conference this week in San Francisco.
The updates are a "major evolution" to the company's ecosystem – a series of interconnected applications and services, from the cloud and data centres to workspaces and its Android platform – and are "built for the future", Kristina Behr, vice president of product management for collaboration and apps at Google, said in a media round-table.
"We're fundamentally reshaping AI's role as your collaborative partner across workspace ... our cloud-native architecture and long history with AI meant that we were able to bring the power of Google's advanced large language models to workspace in record time," she said.
On Google Workspace, the company will place Duet AI "at the forefront of meetings and messages" with the new Take Notes for Me feature, which uses generative AI to act as a meeting assistant that captures notes, actions items and creates video snippets in real time.
Duet AI is a generative AI-powered collaborator introduced during May's I/O conference that offers capabilities, such as the ability to summarise text and generate images. It was first integrated into Google Cloud.
In cases when a user is unable to attend a meeting, Duet AI can attend on their behalf and a document will be sent to the user after the meeting.
On Google Slides, the company's presentation app, Duet AI will help users compose speaker notes based on the content in each slide, in addition to support for real-time teleprompting and language translation.
Google now supports more than 300 language pairs, having "invested significantly in chat to make it easier for teams to connect and collaborate everywhere", Ms Behr said.
Duet AI on Google Chat, meanwhile, will be a "real-time partner" that can provide updates, insights and proactive suggestions across a user's Workspace apps.
Also, Duet AI can be asked for a summary of recent conversations, as well as insights from the content of a user's Gmail and Google Drive accounts. Spaces in Google Chat will soon support up to 500,000 members.
The confidentiality and privacy of user data are ensured, with protection "kept intact and automatically applied" when using any of Google's services, Ms Behr said.
"As we embed Duet AI into Workspace, protecting the confidentiality and privacy of customer data continues to be our top priority ... customers can be rest assured that their interactions with Duet will stay within their organisation and their existing workspace," she said.
AI has long been used by businesses and enterprises to streamline their operations and help make workloads more efficient.
Its popularity soared with the introduction of generative AI, which rose to prominence thanks to ChatGPT, the language model-based sensation made by Microsoft-backed OpenAI capable of producing various kinds of data, including audio, code, images, text, simulations, 3D objects and videos.
That triggered a race between Microsoft and Google, which released Bard. It also led to X chief executive Elon Musk announcing xAI, prompted Apple to improve its Siri digital assistant and, overall, created a new battlefront in the tech sector.
Investors put more than $4.2 billion into generative AI start-ups in 2021 and 2022 through 215 deals after interest surged in 2019, recent data from CB Insights showed.
Globally, AI investments are projected to hit $200 billion by 2025 and could possibly have a bigger impact on gross domestic product, Goldman Sachs Economic Research said in a report this month.
Customers can be rest assured that their interactions with Duet will stay within their organisation and their existing workspace
Kristina Behr,
vice president of product management for collaboration and apps at Google
"We’re at an exciting inflection point. We have an opportunity to make AI even more helpful for people, for businesses, for communities, for everyone," Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google and Alphabet, previously said.
"We’ve been applying AI to make our products radically more helpful for a while. With generative AI, we’re taking the next step."
Google also announced a collaboration with General Motors to use conversational AI in millions of vehicles made by the largest car maker in the US.
This followed the teaming up of Microsoft and Mercedes-Benz in June for testing ChatGPT in the German luxury car maker's fleet – the first such adoption of the technology in vehicles.
Additionally, global consulting firms, including Deloitte and Capgemini, have joined forces with Google to train more than 150,000 people in AI. They are also planning to triple their generative AI capacity for Google Cloud by 2025.
Other notable customers Google has won include rating agency Moody's Investors Service, capital market firm MSCI, German multinational Bayer and Japanese video game company Capcom. More announcements are expected at the Google Cloud Next conference.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,000mm, Winners: Mumayaza, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
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7.30pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
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Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.
Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets