After facing criticism for its portrayal of AI, Google has withdrawn its controversial ad from the Olympics. The ad featured a father using Google’s Gemini AI chatbot to help his daughter write a fan letter to Olympic athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, which many viewers felt undermined the child’s creativity by replacing it with AI-generated text.
Initially, Google defended the ad, asserting that it demonstrated how Gemini could provide a helpful starting point for writing. However, following widespread feedback, the company decided to pull the ad from its rotation. That move highlights ongoing concerns about AI potentially displacing creative jobs, similar to the backlash faced by Apple earlier this year for a similar ad.
The ad’s removal marks a notable misstep for Google, which aims to position Gemini as a key competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and integrate AI across its products. The incident also underscores broader fears about AI’s impact on creative professions.
Startup Character.AI has entered into a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Google, allowing the tech giant to use its large language model technology. As part of the deal, Character.AI co-founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, former Google employees, will rejoin Google, specifically its DeepMind research team.
Character.AI will receive additional funding from Google, though the exact amount has not been disclosed. Dominic Perella, the startup’s general counsel, will serve as interim CEO. The agreement follows similar moves by Microsoft and Amazon, who have also acquired AI talent from startups to strengthen their AI capabilities.
The deal comes amid regulatory scrutiny in the US and Europe over how major tech companies consolidate AI resources. Character.AI previously raised $193 million in venture capital and discussed securing more funding from Google.
Design flaws could delay the launch of Nvidia’s upcoming AI chips by three months or more, according to tech publication The Information. That delay could impact major customers like Meta Platforms, Google, and Microsoft, which have collectively ordered tens of billions of dollars worth of chips.
In March, Nvidia introduced its Blackwell chip series as the successor to the Grace Hopper Superchip, designed for generative AI applications. Despite the reported setback, a Nvidia spokesperson stated that demand for the Hopper chip remains strong, with broad sampling of the Blackwell chips already underway and production expected to ramp up in the year’s second half.
Microsoft declined to comment further, while Meta and Google have not responded. According to sources cited by The Information, Nvidia reportedly informed Microsoft and another major cloud service provider of the delay earlier this week.
Beachgoers in the UK can now access the SeaCheck app for real-time updates on sea conditions at Boscombe Beach in Dorset. Created by the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, the app delivers details on sea temperature, wind speed, and wave height. Utilising AI, it provides the latest data to help users make informed choices about swimming, paddling, or surfing.
Currently in a pilot phase until September, the app’s effectiveness will be assessed for a potential wider release. Additionally, AI will soon be able to detect harmful bacteria levels using information from buoys near Bournemouth and Boscombe piers.
Millie Earl, leader of the BCP Council, highlighted the app’s innovation, noting its use of AI and real-time data to give the public valuable insights into sea conditions and water quality.
Why does this matter?
The innovation exemplifies how technology can be leveraged to improve public services and safety. It allows individuals to make informed decisions about activities like swimming, paddling, or surfing, potentially reducing risks associated with adverse weather or water conditions. The app’s future capability to detect harmful bacteria levels can further protect public health.
Taco Bell is expanding AI voice technology in its drive-thrus to hundreds of US locations by the end of this year, according to parent company Yum! Brands. Customers at these locations may soon interact with a computer instead of a human when placing their orders, a move aimed at freeing up employees for other tasks and improving sales.
The expansion follows Taco Bell’s successful testing of AI at 100 locations across 13 states, which reportedly led to greater order accuracy, happier employees, and shorter wait times. This contrasts McDonald’s, which recently abandoned similar AI technology after customer complaints about incorrect orders.
‘Yum! Brands’ chief innovation officer, Lawrence Kim, expressed confidence in their approach, which involved two years of testing and improvements. Kim assured that AI would not replace human jobs but enhance the work experience by allowing employees to focus on priority tasks. He also highlighted the technology’s potential for broader applications across other Yum! Brands chains, including Pizza Hut, KFC, and The Habit Burger Grill.
Google is rolling out new AI-driven features for Chrome’s desktop version, powered by its Gemini technology. These updates include the introduction of Google Lens for desktop, accessible from the address bar and menu, allowing users to select parts of a web page or objects in images to ask questions and receive search results. The feature aims to enhance the user experience by enabling more interactive and visual searches.
Another addition is the Tab Compare feature, which is designed to simplify online shopping. It provides an AI-generated summary of similar items from different tabs, presenting product specifications, features, prices, and ratings in one consolidated view. This tool will help users make more informed purchasing decisions by comparing items across multiple pages.
Google also improves search functionality by integrating natural language queries for browsing history. Users can search their history using everyday language, making it easier to find previously visited pages. For example, users can ask, ‘What was that ice cream shop I looked at last week?’ and get relevant results based on the URL, title, and content of the pages.
These updates reflect Google’s ongoing efforts to integrate AI into its services, following previous enhancements such as a writing assistant, tab organiser, and theme creator introduced earlier this year. By leveraging AI, Google aims to provide users with a more intuitive and efficient browsing experience.
An Israeli start-up, Run, is under scrutiny as the US Justice Department investigates its acquisition by Nvidia on antitrust grounds. The $700 million deal, announced in April, raises concerns over Nvidia’s growing dominance in the AI chip market. Run’s technology, which optimises graphics processing units (GPUs), has become highly valuable amid soaring demand for these chips.
Nvidia, which has seen profits surge due to its AI-adapted chips, is now under investigation for potentially anti-competitive practices. Regulators fear that the company’s control over high-end AI chips and related software could stifle competition and innovation in the AI industry. Nvidia spokesperson Mylene Mangalindan defended the company, emphasising its commitment to competition and innovation.
Why does this matter?
The Justice Department’s investigation is part of a broader regulatory effort to address potential monopolistic behaviours in the AI sector. To ensure fair competition, the DoJ and the Federal Trade Commission are examining the business practices of leading AI companies, including Nvidia and Microsoft.
The investigation into Nvidia’s acquisition strategy and business practices reflects broader concerns about market concentration in the tech industry. As regulators continue to scrutinise AI investments and mergers, the outcome of these investigations could significantly impact the future landscape of the AI market.
OpenAI, previously a close partner of Microsoft, is now officially recognised as a competitor. Microsoft’s recent SEC filing marks the first time the company has publicly acknowledged this shift. OpenAI is now listed alongside tech giants like Google and Amazon as a competitor in both AI and search technologies.
The relationship between the two companies has been under scrutiny, with antitrust concerns arising from the FTC. Microsoft’s decision to relinquish its board observer seat at OpenAI follows a series of significant events, including the brief dismissal of OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman. The filing may reflect a strategic move to alter public perception amid these investigations.
Silicon Valley has a history of companies navigating complex relationships, balancing roles as both partners and competitors. The dynamic between Yahoo and Google in the early 2000s serves as a notable example. Microsoft and OpenAI might be experiencing a similar evolution, with both entities maintaining competitive and cooperative elements.
Meanwhile, Microsoft continues to expand its own AI initiatives. The hiring of Inflection AI co-founders to lead a new AI division and the development of Microsoft Copilot highlight the company’s broader strategy. The diversification suggests a strategic approach to AI that goes beyond its ties with OpenAI.
Following a recent lawsuit by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) against music generation startups Udio and Suno, Suno admitted in a court filing that it trained its AI model using copyrighted songs. Suno claimed this was legal under the fair-use doctrine.
The RIAA’s lawsuit, filed on 24 June, alleges that both startups used copyrighted music without permission to train their models. Suno’s admission is the first direct acknowledgement of this practice. Suno CEO Mikey Shulman defended the use of copyrighted material on the open internet, comparing it to a kid learning to write rock songs after listening to the genre.
The RIAA responded by calling Suno’s actions ‘industrial scale infringement’ that does not qualify as fair use. They argued that such practices harm artists by repackaging their work and competing directly with the originals. The outcome of this case, still in its early stages, could set a significant precedent for AI model training and copyright law.
As per a report by the World Bank and International Labour Organization, between 2% to 5% of the jobs in Latin America and the Carribean are at risk of being redundant because of automation. The highest risk of automation confronts women and young workers in the formal sector. That is a huge challenge for one of the world’s most unequal regions, where most low-paying jobs are concentrated in the informal economy.
Despite the growth in AI, the report also highlighted how ‘gaps in digital infrastructure and other inequalities could hinder the potential impacts of generative AI in the region’. The figure hovers between 26% and 38% of the total employment in Latin America and the Caribbean regarding jobs being exposed by generative AI and being impacted by it somehow.
On the flip side, researchers also draw attention to the fact that AI could bring many benefits by enhancing workers’ productivity between 8% and 14% of jobs, especially for high-income earners working in the urban formal sector.
