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Google AI to power virtual travel agent from Priceline

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According to reports, Google is bringing its own AI engine to Priceline, an online travel firm, to assist users book trips using a chatbot.

According to Google and Priceline, the new feature, which will include a more advanced chatbot, could go available as early as this summer. Now that Priceline has access to Google’s generative AI, the platform can more effectively extract data from various sources, like hotels.

Google
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The customer can then be presented with that data in a way that makes it seem as though a human wrote it, as Google’s Bard is known for doing.

Also Read: Google quietly ends support for decade-old Chromecast

The chatbot would act as “a personal concierge” for users, said Martin Brodbeck, Priceline’s chief technology officer, to Reuters. Brodbeck stated, “You can easily find out that in Bryant Park there’s a Christmas market that runs from early November all the way through the beginning of January when you’re actually booking your hotel.”

The digital infrastructure of Priceline will also receive support from Google on the backend. The hundreds of software professionals who work at Priceline are apparently going to use artificial intelligence to generate code. Additionally, Google’s search engine will be integrated into the company intranet, and its AI will help sell popular spots to consumers.

When combined with excellent generative-AI content, Brodbeck told Reuters, “You could have it create images like a lovely beach.”

Google has long been the distant No. 3 provider of cloud services like data storage, so using AI to attract customers could help it catch up to rivals Amazon and Microsoft. The adoption of cutting-edge technology on Priceline’s website would give it an advantage over other travel-related marketplaces, some of which are looking into how customers will respond to AI.

Expedia Group, a competitor company, claimed that a smartphone app will use ChatGPT to power conversations. According to Rathi Murthy, its chief technology officer, this provides travelers with “inspiration on places to go” and booking possibilities.

Expedia Group, a competitor, said that ChatGPT would be used to facilitate conversations on its mobile app. According to its chief technology officer Rathi Murthy, this is providing travelers with “inspiration on where to go” and booking options.

Also Read: Snap hires new head of engineering from Google

Google has historically been a rival to Priceline, despite the fact that Brodbeck said its cloud computing skills were the catalyst for the collaboration. According to Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, the capacity to create applications on top of generative artificial intelligence has recently attracted business.

According to Kurian, who was referring to the amazing prehistoric period when a vast variety of new species evolved, “There is kind of a Cambrian moment happening now where there is an explosion of this technology.”

Snap

Snap hires new head of engineering from Google

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In the latest in an array of new hires, Snap Inc. announced on Monday that it has recruited a brand-new senior vice president of the engineering division from Alphabet’s child company Google to enhance its advertising operations.

Eric Young, previously the vice president of the engineering division for Alphabet Inc.’s Google Cloud, is going to be in charge of Snap, the organization that controls the well-known photo messaging service Snapchat when it comes to its basic structure.

Snap
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In addition, he will take the helm of initiatives to strengthen Snap’s capacity to customize and evaluate Snapchat ads, which was made more challenging by privacy improvements on Apple’s iOS devices.

Also Read: Apple Plans Major Retail Push With New Stores Across China, US

Although Snapchat has steadily grown its user base to 750 million monthly users, Snap has had difficulty increasing income at an equivalent rate.

In April, Snap announced that it was implementing measures to make it easier for people to communicate with advertising and to make them more relevant to users, both of which it claimed would have an immediate negative impact on some marketers’ outcomes.

Young built the technological foundation for Google products including search, advertisements, and YouTube during his time there.

Following the hiring of Rob Wilk, previously the director of marketing at Microsoft Corp., to serve as president of the Americas region, and another Google employee to oversee sales products, he was appointed to the position at Snap.

According to parent company Snap, Snapchat now has 200 million active users in India monthly, 120 million of whom view stuff.

On the occasion, the business unveiled the introduction of My AI, a testing chatbot powered by AI and designed for Snapchat that can provide birthday present suggestions, long-weekend getaway plans, and even supper meal ideas.

90 percent of the 750 million active users every month of the visual messaging application are between the ages of 18 and 24.

Also Read: Summer Game Fest 2023 and games conference schedule

Following internal business data, more than fifty billion AR Lenses are played with each month by Snapchat users in India, and approximately 85 percent of Snapchat users utilize Lenses to express themselves through visuals throughout the country’s holiday seasons.

To create a local online shopping ecosystem in India above its augmented reality-enabled application, the organization has begun collaborating with Indian merchants.

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Google quietly ends support for decade-old Chromecast

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Almost ten years after the $35 streaming stick’s launch in 2013, Google has discontinued support for the original Chromecast.

A support page that lists the firmware versions for each Chromecast model indicates that the end of support occurred at the end of April.

Google
Image Source: engadget.com

Google support pages noted, “Support for Chromecast (1st gen) has ended. These devices no longer receive software or security updates, and Google does not provide technical support for them. Users may notice a degradation in performance.”

Also Read: Fidelity marks down the value of Twitter stake again

A little, a surprisingly well-liked gadget the size of a key, the first Chromecast allowed you to stream video from your phone, tablet, or laptop to your TV via an HDMI connector. In an era when many consumers had not yet made the switch to smart TVs, it was an affordable workaround for putting video streaming apps onto your TV, costing only $35.

Although Google has officially stopped supporting the first-generation Chromecast, the gadget hasn’t exactly received regular updates. According to reports, the device’s most recent update, which was also the first to be provided for it in more than three years, was made available last November.

Over the years, Google created a number of other Chromecasts, including a 4K variant in 2016. The 2020 Chromecast with Google TV, however, brought its own controller into the mix. The streaming stick marked a significant change in the Chromecast series because it featured its own UI instead of only receiving video from your smartphone.

The original Chromecast was released in 2013 and offered a simple and affordable way to stream content to a TV. It plugged into the HDMI port of a television and connected to the user’s Wi-Fi network. By using compatible apps on their mobile device or computer, users could cast or mirror content onto the TV screen.

Also Read: OpenAI’s ChatGPT app tops 500K downloads in just 6 days

Over the years, Google has released several iterations of Chromecast, including the Chromecast Ultra, Chromecast with Google TV, and Chromecast (3rd generation). These newer models offered additional features like 4K Ultra HD resolution, a dedicated remote control, and a built-in user interface for navigating content.

Chromecast devices work with a wide range of streaming services and apps, including Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, and many others. They have gained popularity due to their simplicity, affordability, and compatibility with various devices and platforms.

Chromecast was once a popular choice for streaming media content due to its affordability, simplicity, and cross-platform compatibility.

inactive accounts

Google to delete inactive accounts starting December

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In an effort to minimize safety threats such as cyberattacks, Alphabet Inc.’s child company Google announced on Tuesday that it will deactivate accounts that had been inactive for two years beginning in December.

According to the business, accounts, and materials within Google Workspace, such as Gmail, Drive, Docs, and Meet, along with Calendar, YouTube as well as Google Photos, may be deleted if they have not been utilized or registered for a minimum of two years.

Inactive Accounts
Image Source: arabnews.com

The policy modification solely affects individual Google Accounts; it does not affect accounts used by corporations or institutions like schools.

Also Read: Google Launching Tools to Identify Misleading and AI Images

Google stated in 2020 that while it would erase the account itself, it was going to delete any content kept in a deactivated account.

Before deleting inactive accounts initiated on Tuesday, Google will be sending repeated reminders to the account’s email address including recovery mail.

“The simplest way to keep a Google Account active is to sign in at least once every 2 years,” the company’s policy says. “If you have signed into your Google Account or any of our services recently, your account is considered active and will not be deleted.”

Source: nbcsandiego.com

Your account won’t be deleted if you’ve opened up your email, viewed a YouTube video, or installed an app from the Google Play Store, according to the firm.

Just individual Google Accounts are subjected to these rules and regulations, accounts used by companies and organizations like schools are not affected. This change restricts the duration of time Google keeps your inactive personal information and matches the policy with standard practices for account termination and preservation.

A Google Account can be kept active by just logging in no less than once every two years. If you have lately signed into your Google account and have utilized any of its various additional features, your Google account is considered active and won’t be deleted.

Also Read: WhatsApp Lock Feature to Protect ‘Extra Special’ Chats?

The steps that you can take when you log in or when logged into your Google Account may be considered activity include,

Read or send emails, use Google Drive, stream YouTube videos, install apps from the Google Play Store, use Google Search, and If you use a service or services from a third party and sign in using Google.

Your account will remain unaffected if you already have a membership set up via your Google Account, such as to Google One, a media outlet, or an app. They also take into consideration this account activity.

Google

Google Launching Tools to Identify Misleading and AI Images

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In order to stop the spread of false information, especially now that photorealistic fakes are so easy to make thanks to artificial intelligence capabilities, Google is introducing a pair of updates to its image search.

The first new feature from Alphabet Inc. is named “About this image,” and it provides more information by indicating when an image or ones that are similar to it were originally indexed by Google, where they initially appeared, and other places they have appeared online.

Google
Image Source: finance.yahoo.com

The purpose is to assist users in identifying the original source while contextualizing an image with any discrediting information that may have been supplied by news organizations.

Also Read: Apple to open the first online shop in Vietnam

Every AI-generated image produced by Google’s tools will be marked as such, and the company is collaborating with other platforms and services to ensure that the markup is included in the files they distribute.

Among the publisher’s Google has on board are Midjourney and Shutterstock, and the objective is to make sure that every AI material that appears in search results is tagged as such.

Google noted in a blog post, “You’ll be able to find this tool by clicking on the three dots on an image in Google Images results, searching with an image or screenshot in Google Lens, or by swiping up in the Google App when you’re on a page and come across an image you want to learn more about.

Later this year, you’ll also be able to use it by right-clicking or long-pressing on an image in Chrome on desktop and mobile. ”

Google is expanding its image search with new features. The ‘About this image’ drop-down will offer more context, such as the date an image or one similar to it was originally indexed by Google, the location of that indexation, and the source of the image. Every AI-generated image that is made by the tech giant’s technologies will be marked.

Google announced that any image created using its own generative AI tools would have metadata indicating if it was created using AI. Using the same technology, both creators and publishers would be enabled to label their photographs.

Also Read: EU antitrust regulators seeking more info on Apple Pay

In the age of AI, the provenance of online photos is a rising problem, and several businesses are developing solutions for verification and authentication. For instance, Truepic Inc., which is supported by Microsoft, provides solutions that guarantee an image hasn’t been altered from capture to transmission.

Although Google’s new features, which are being released throughout this year, are relatively low-tech, they could have a greater positive impact if they receive enough industry backing.

Help Me Write

What is Google Help Me Write?

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This year’s Google I/O had a strong artificial intelligence theme, and prompt-based text generation—especially in Google’s Office suite—was a major component of that theme. Many new features were added to some of our top Google apps, like Help Me Write, at the most recent Google I/O event.

Help Me Write
Image Source: hindustantimes.com

Google said on Wednesday at its Google I/O event that Gmail will soon have a tool that will use artificial intelligence to compose complete emails for users.

Also Read: How is the new Google AI search different from the Bard chatbot?

The “help me write” function is essentially an extension of the auto-replies and generative text Google already employs in Gmail. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, cited the example of requesting a flight refund when introducing the feature.

A whole message requesting the refund is created by the AI feature using data from earlier communications with the airline. The message can then be edited as desired and sent.

After the text has been created, users can edit it to make it more effective for their purposes. The I’m Feeling Lucky option is available, as well as options to formalize, elaborate, and shorten. Since March, this function has been accessible to a small group of trusted testers, and Google says a wider audience will have access to it later in the year.

Help Me Write users will be able to offer suggestions a thumbs up or down, which should help the technology become more accurate and timely over time.

This is just one illustration of how Google is enhancing Google Workspaces with Generative artificial intelligence (AI) features to provide its users with more accessibility. Help Me Write can be used to overcome writer’s block and facilitate communication between people in both professional and everyday settings.

With the new Help Me Write feature coming to Gmail and Google Docs, users will be able to construct emails and writing sections based on fewer inputs. It is essentially an enormous enlargement of the Smart Prompts technology, which currently exists and can autocomplete sentences depending on what a user typically writes.

Also Read: What is the admin review feature on WhatsApp?

Email fundamentally changed how we communicate in the five decades since its creation, but it has also grown tedious. An email has become a chore for many of our routine tasks, such as scheduling a pet sitter, asking a doctor for medical information, or requesting refunds from merchants.

Help Me Write is poised to have a significant impact on how the world communicates via email given that Gmail has 1.8 billion active users.