What Did Google Do This Week?

GOOGLE JUST GAVE YOUR RESEARCH ASSISTANT / BRAIN AN UPGRADE

A busy week for Le Goog. First, Google’s second antitrust trial began (this time the DOJ is probing Google’s adtech practices) and then a European Court ruled Google must pay a €2.4B fine for a 2017 antitrust trial. Not to be kept down, Google’s AI march rolled on regardless with the introduction of two major new features. One is Gemini Live, available now for free to Android users; the other is Audio Overview, a summarising tool that will play you a podcast-style summary of the most important bits from a meeting or article. The early examples will blow your mind.

First up though, Gemini Live. After being available to Advanced subscribers for a month, Gemini Live is now being rolled out to free Android users. Gemini Live enables natural conversations with interactive exchanges, allowing users to interrupt with new information or directions. You can access it through a new circular waveform with a sparkle icon located at the bottom-right of the Gemini overlay or the main app. The app allows you to continue using your phone or lock the screen while Gemini Live runs in the background. A notification lets you end the session, or you can just tell it to stop. Afterward, a text transcript of the conversation, including your prompts and Gemini’s responses, will be saved in your history.

Ok, back to Audio Overview, the new experimental feature that turns information into an AI-generated podcast, complete with two virtual ‘hosts’ who discuss your findings. The feature is part of NotebookLM, Google’s AI-powered note-taking app, launched last year. The AI hosts summarise your research in conversation, drawing connections between topics and engaging in light, unerringly human chit-chat. Google announced the tech in a blog post complete with an eight-minute Audio Overview demo in which one of two AI hosts says the feature is ‘like giving your research assistant a massive brain upgrade’.

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SO WHAT?

These stories highlight the potentially transformative impact of AI on both everyday life and business operations. With the expansion of tools like Gemini Live, conversational AI is becoming more accessible to the general public, showing us how we may increasingly rely on AI not just for simple tasks, but for more dynamic, interactive conversations. The ability to engage with AI in a natural, real-time manner could revolutionise how we manage our daily activities, reducing friction and enhancing productivity.

For businesses, tools like Gemini Live and AI-generated podcasts through Google’s NotebookLM introduce new ways to communicate and digest information. The AI-driven podcast feature could begin a shift in how we consume content, turning research or business data into conversational, digestible formats. This will enable businesses to leverage AI for deeper insights, making it easier for teams to stay informed and make connections between ideas without needing to spend as much time processing raw information. For content creators, educators, or anyone relying on research and reports, this feature could significantly reduce time spent sifting through data, streamlining the learning and creative process.

On a broader scale, the White House meeting between AI industry leaders and utility companies points to the increasing focus on AI's impact on infrastructure. As AI systems demand more energy and computational power, businesses and governments must consider how to manage resources sustainably. The meeting suggests major investments in energy infrastructure and data centres are on the horizon, which will be critical for the long-term scalability of AI technologies. As AI continues to reshape industries, its integration with energy and infrastructure could change the way businesses operate and grow.

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Also in this week’s edition: Google is holding publishers hostage, prosecutors say; Google taught robots to tie shoelaces; and Google struck a huge carbon credits deal... Get all of this +20 additional stories you need to know about. Subscribe and get up-to-date… ⬇