Google Cloud announced Wednesday that their AI service (Vertex) will use Mistral AI’s Codestral AI model, as the Google Cloud team explained.
“Today, we’re announcing that Google Cloud is the first hyper scaler to introduce Codestral – Mistral AI’s first open-weight generative AI model explicitly designed for code generation tasks — as a fully managed service.”, the company emphasised.
Mistral AI is a Paris-based startup firm founded in 2023 by former Google Deep Mind and Meta AI scientists. The partnership shows the quick growth of Mistral AI, considered the European alternative to Microsoft-backed OpenAI by many analysts.
Cybersecurity startup Wiz has declined a $23 billion acquisition offer from Google’s parent company, Alphabet, opting to pursue its initial plan of an initial public offering (IPO). CEO Assaf Rappaport confirmed the decision in a memo, highlighting the company’s goals of reaching $1 billion in annual recurring revenue and proceeding with the IPO.
Google announced on Monday that it will continue to support third-party cookies in its Chrome browser, reversing its previous plans to phase out the tracking technology. The decision comes amid concerns from advertisers, Google’s primary revenue source, who feared the loss of cookies would hinder their ability to collect data for personalised ads and increase their reliance on Google’s user databases. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority had also scrutinised the initial plan, worried about its potential impact on competition in digital advertising.
In a blog post, Anthony Chavez, vice president of the Privacy Sandbox initiative, stated that instead of eliminating third-party cookies, Google will introduce a new feature in Chrome, allowing users to make informed choices about their web browsing privacy. The initiative aims to balance enhancing online privacy with supporting digital businesses. Since 2019, Google’s Privacy Sandbox has worked towards this goal, with cookies playing a crucial role in identifying and tracking web users’ browsing habits.
The use of cookies is regulated by laws such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which requires explicit user consent for storing cookies. Major browsers also offer options to delete cookies. Chavez mentioned that Google is collaborating with regulators, publishers, and privacy groups to develop this new approach while continuing to invest in the Privacy Sandbox program.
The announcement received mixed reactions. Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf, an analyst at eMarketer, noted that advertisers no longer need to prepare for a sudden shift away from third-party cookies. However, Lena Cohen from the Electronic Frontier Foundation criticised the decision, highlighting potential consumer harms and attributing Google’s stance to its advertising-driven business model.
Google France CEO Sébastien Missoffe highlighted Google’s infrastructure, data expertise, and long-term AI approach as key factors that will support CMA CGM’s growth. CEVA Logistics, CMA CGM’s logistics arm, will utilise Google’s AI-based management tools to enhance volume and demand forecasting, improving operational planning at its warehouses.
The partnership extends to CMA CGM’s media arm, which holds stakes in French private broadcaster M6 and recently acquired BFM TV. The media division aims to develop tools to help journalists synthesise and translate documents, generate media snippets for social networks, and digitise archives for research purposes. This collaboration underscores the growing trend of leveraging AI to address challenges across various industries, similar to the partnership between Airbus and Agrimetrics in agronomy.
Italy’s antitrust authority launched an investigation against Google and its parent company, Alphabet, over alleged unfair practices related to personal data usage. The watchdog claims that Google’s request for user consent to connect its various services “could be misleading and aggressive commercial practice,” failing to explain how it impacts personal data use adequately.
Google, which offers services such as YouTube, Gmail, and Maps, is accused of presenting consent requests in a way that restricts users’ freedom of choice. The antitrust authority argues that users might be pressured into agreeing to the combined use of personal data across different Google services.
A Google spokesperson stated that the company will examine the details and cooperate with the authorities. Companies found to breach consumer rights in Italy face fines ranging from £5,000 to £10 million.
The EU antitrust regulators are investigating a deal between Google and Samsung, where Google’s chatbot, Gemini Nano, is embedded in Samsung’s Galaxy S24 smartphones. The European Commission wants to understand if this multi-year generative AI deal restricts rival chatbots from being installed on Samsung devices, raising concerns about potential anti-competitive practices.
Regulators have sent out a questionnaire to industry participants, asking if the pre-installation of Gemini Nano via the device or the cloud limits the number of other AI systems that can be pre-installed. They are also examining if this arrangement affects the interoperability between Gemini Nano and other pre-installed apps on Samsung smartphones.
The investigation aims to determine if competitors have faced challenges in making deals with device manufacturers for the pre-installation of their chatbots and the reasons behind any rejections. Feedback from industry participants is crucial in shaping the EU’s stance on the matter.
Respondents have until this week to submit their responses to the eight-page questionnaire, which will play a key role in assessing the impact of the Google-Samsung deal on market competition.
Google’s Gemini AI has been discovered scanning PDF files on Google Drive without user consent, sparking concerns over AI safety and privacy. Senior Advisor Kevin Bankston revealed that the AI generated a summary of a private tax return without permission, raising significant privacy issues.
Bankston shared his struggles to disable the feature, which continued to operate despite attempts to find the correct controls. The difficulty in managing Gemini’s integration in Google Drive has led to questions about Google’s handling of user data and privacy settings.
Google previously assured users that Workspace data would not be used to train AI or target ads. However, this incident has raised doubts about data hygiene and privacy.
Bankston’s experience suggests that prior participation in Google Workspace Labs might have influenced Gemini’s behaviour, highlighting the need for better user control and consent as AI technology advances.
Lee Saedol, once the world’s top Go player, experienced a turning point in 2016 when he was defeated by AlphaGo, an AI program developed by Google’s DeepMind. This unexpected loss highlighted the significant advancements in AI, showcasing its ability to master complex tasks previously considered exclusive to human expertise.
AlphaGo’s victory over Lee, an 18-time world champion, demonstrated AI’s potential to achieve superhuman proficiency in skills such as Go, a game known for its complexity and strategic depth. The match, which garnered global attention, revealed the profound impact AI could have on various fields beyond board games.
Following his defeat, Lee Saedol retired, acknowledging that AI had fundamentally changed the nature of Go. Now, at 41, he urges others to familiarise themselves with AI technology to avoid being unprepared for its widespread implications. He lectures about AI, emphasising its growing influence and the need for society to adapt.
Despite his initial shock, Lee remains engaged with the Go community, writing books and founding a Go academy for children. He frequently discusses AI’s future impact on his family, particularly its influence on job markets and everyday life, underscoring the importance of choosing careers resilient to AI advancements.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT, launched in 2022, has revolutionised the way people seek answers, shifting from traditional methods to AI-driven interactions. This AI chatbot, along with competitors like Anthropic’s Claude, Google’s Gemini, and Microsoft’s CoPilot, has made AI a focal point in information retrieval. Despite these advancements, traditional search engines like Google remain dominant.
Google’s profits surged by nearly 60% due to increased advertising revenue from Google Search, and its global market share reached 91.1% in June, even as ChatGPT’s web visits declined by 12%.
Google is not only holding its ground but also leveraging AI technology to enhance its services. Analysts at Bank of America credit Gemini, Google’s AI, with contributing to the growth in search queries. By integrating Gemini into products such as Google Cloud and Search, Google aims to improve their performance, blending traditional search capabilities with cutting-edge AI innovations.
However, Google’s dominance faces significant legal challenges. The U.S. Department of Justice has concluded a major antitrust case against Google, accusing the company of monopolising the digital search market, with a verdict expected by late 2024.
Additionally, Google is contending with another antitrust lawsuit filed by the U.S. government over alleged anticompetitive behaviour in the digital advertising space. These legal challenges could reshape the digital search landscape, potentially providing opportunities for AI chatbots and other emerging technologies to gain a stronger foothold in the market.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has reached agreements with Telstra and Optus regarding Google’s search services following an investigation into potential anticompetitive practices. The ACCC found that Google had arrangements with Telstra and Optus since at least 2017, ensuring its search services were pre-installed as the default on Android devices supplied by these telecom companies. These agreements restrict competition by limiting the visibility of rival search engines.
Telstra and Optus have cooperated with the ACCC and agreed that, as of 30 June 2024, they will not renew or enter into any new agreements with Google that mandate its search services as the exclusive default option on devices they distribute. These undertakings aim to promote competition and consumer choice in Australia’s digital market.
ACCC Commissioner Liza Carver emphasised the importance of these undertakings in enhancing consumer choice and fostering competition in digital platforms. She noted that practices such as exclusivity agreements can stifle innovation and limit options for consumers, highlighting the need for digital platforms to adhere to Australia’s competition laws.
The ACCC’s broader investigation into Google’s practices continues, focusing on potential competition concerns raised by these agreements and their impact on the digital economy. The commission plans to submit further reports on its findings, including recommendations for regulatory reforms aimed at promoting fair competition among digital platforms in Australia.
