Google says it will no longer build AI tools for oil, gas drillers
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Google says it will no longer build custom artificial intelligence tools for speeding up oil and gas extraction, separating itself from cloud computing rivals Microsoft and Amazon.A statement from the company Tuesday followed a Greenpeace report that documents how the three tech giants are using AI and computing power to help oil companies find and access oil and gas deposits in the U.S. and around the world.The environmentalist group says Amazon, Microsoft and Google have been undermining their own climate change pledges by partnering with major oil companies including Shell, BP, Chevron and ExxonMobil that have looked for new technology to get more oil and gas out of the ground.But the group applauded Google on Tuesday for taking a step away from those deals.“While Google still has a few legacy contracts with oil and gas firms, we welcome this indication from Google that it will no longer build custom solutions for upstream oil and gas extraction,” said Elizabeth Jardim, senior corporate campaigner for Greenpeace USA.Google said it will honor all existing contracts with its customers, but didn't specify what companies.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Google says it will no longer build custom artificial intelligence tools for speeding up oil and gas extraction, separating itself from cloud computing rivals Microsoft and Amazon.A statement from the company Tuesday followed a Greenpeace report that documents how the three tech giants are using AI and computing power to help oil companies find and access oil and gas deposits in the U.S. and around the world.The environmentalist group says Amazon, Microsoft and Google have been undermining their own climate change pledges by partnering with major oil companies including Shell, BP, Chevron and ExxonMobil that have looked for new technology to get more oil and gas out of the ground.But the group applauded Google on Tuesday for taking a step away from those deals.“While Google still has a few legacy contracts with oil and gas firms, we welcome this indication from Google that it will no longer build custom solutions for upstream oil and gas extraction,” said Elizabeth Jardim, senior corporate campaigner for Greenpeace USA.Google said it will honor all existing contracts with its customers, but didn't specify what companies.
There's a simple way you can check to see when your favorite grocery store is least busy
MILWAUKEE -- Grocery shopping is no simple task amid the coronavirus pandemic.
MILWAUKEE -- Grocery shopping is no simple task amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Australia to make Google and Facebook pay for news content
CANBERRA, Australia — Global digital platforms Google and Facebook will be forced to pay for news content in Australia, the government said Monday, as the coronavirus pandemic causes a collapse in advertising revenue.Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission would release in late July draft rules for the platforms to pay fair compensation for the journalistic content siphoned from news media.Frydenberg said he believed that Australia could succeed where other countries, including France and Spain, had failed in making Google and Facebook pay.“We won’t bow to their threats,” Frydenberg told reporters. “We understand the challenge that we face.
CANBERRA, Australia — Global digital platforms Google and Facebook will be forced to pay for news content in Australia, the government said Monday, as the coronavirus pandemic causes a collapse in advertising revenue.Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission would release in late July draft rules for the platforms to pay fair compensation for the journalistic content siphoned from news media.Frydenberg said he believed that Australia could succeed where other countries, including France and Spain, had failed in making Google and Facebook pay.“We won’t bow to their threats,” Frydenberg told reporters. “We understand the challenge that we face.
Apple, Google to harness phones for virus infection tracking: 'We have to save lives'
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Apple and Google launched a major joint effort to leverage smartphone technology to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.New software the companies plan to add to phones would make it easier to use Bluetooth wireless technology to track down people for who may have been infected by coronavirus carriers.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Apple and Google launched a major joint effort to leverage smartphone technology to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.New software the companies plan to add to phones would make it easier to use Bluetooth wireless technology to track down people for who may have been infected by coronavirus carriers.
Alphabet’s Verily launches coronavirus testing website
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Google’s sister company Verily has launched a website for some people in the Bay Area to determine their eligibility for a coronavirus testing program.Verily, a subsidiary of Alphabet and sister company to Google, said the screening is limited for now to residents in Santa Clara County and San Mateo County.The online tool allows people residing in the two counties to take online screener surveys to see if they should go to testing sites in either county for exams.Verily said it worked with the federal government to build the online tool to perform risk screening and testing of people at high risk of contracting the coronavirus.In a news conference on Sunday afternoon, Governor Gavin Newsom said the tool is meant for people with mild symptoms, as well as those at high risk, including seniors.
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Google’s sister company Verily has launched a website for some people in the Bay Area to determine their eligibility for a coronavirus testing program.Verily, a subsidiary of Alphabet and sister company to Google, said the screening is limited for now to residents in Santa Clara County and San Mateo County.The online tool allows people residing in the two counties to take online screener surveys to see if they should go to testing sites in either county for exams.Verily said it worked with the federal government to build the online tool to perform risk screening and testing of people at high risk of contracting the coronavirus.In a news conference on Sunday afternoon, Governor Gavin Newsom said the tool is meant for people with mild symptoms, as well as those at high risk, including seniors.
Google asks all North American employees to work from home
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Google's parent company, Alphabet, has spelled out a new message for its North American employees: "Work from home."The recommendation comes in the wake of growing coronavirus concerns.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Google's parent company, Alphabet, has spelled out a new message for its North American employees: "Work from home."The recommendation comes in the wake of growing coronavirus concerns.
US, France reach tax deal averting broader trade war
DAVOS, Switzerland — France will delay its tax on the digital business of big tech firms like Google and Facebook in exchange for the United States' promise to hold off retaliatory sanctions - a deal that could avert a broader trade dispute.Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Wednesday he had agreed on the truce with U.S. Treasury chief Steven Mnuchin, at a meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.Le Maire said France would delay collection of the digital tax until December - through the next U.S. election cycle, potentially easing pressure for President Donald Trump as he seeks reelection.But the French minister said his country would never scrap it entirely until an international accord can be reached.“Digital companies will pay their fair tax in 2020,” Le Maire told reporters in Davos.The U.S., in turn, will hold off imposing retaliatory tariffs that it had threatened to slap tariffs on French wine, cheese and other products.The move appears to dial down the risk of a wider trade war between the United States and the European Union, of which France is part.
DAVOS, Switzerland — France will delay its tax on the digital business of big tech firms like Google and Facebook in exchange for the United States' promise to hold off retaliatory sanctions - a deal that could avert a broader trade dispute.Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Wednesday he had agreed on the truce with U.S. Treasury chief Steven Mnuchin, at a meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.Le Maire said France would delay collection of the digital tax until December - through the next U.S. election cycle, potentially easing pressure for President Donald Trump as he seeks reelection.But the French minister said his country would never scrap it entirely until an international accord can be reached.“Digital companies will pay their fair tax in 2020,” Le Maire told reporters in Davos.The U.S., in turn, will hold off imposing retaliatory tariffs that it had threatened to slap tariffs on French wine, cheese and other products.The move appears to dial down the risk of a wider trade war between the United States and the European Union, of which France is part.
Fired Google workers plan federal labor complaint
SAN FRANCISCO — Four workers fired from Google last week are planning to file a federal labor complaint against the company, claiming it unfairly retaliated against them for organizing workers around social causes.The former employees said Tuesday they are preparing to file unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board this week.
SAN FRANCISCO — Four workers fired from Google last week are planning to file a federal labor complaint against the company, claiming it unfairly retaliated against them for organizing workers around social causes.The former employees said Tuesday they are preparing to file unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board this week.
Muted launch for Google's game-streaming service Stadia
NEW YORK — Google’s new game-streaming service Stadia demonstrates the possibilities of gaming from the cloud, but experts say it’s hindered by a lack of compelling games and a somewhat convoluted pricing scheme.One analyst calls Tuesday’s launch more of a public beta test than an actual debut.
NEW YORK — Google’s new game-streaming service Stadia demonstrates the possibilities of gaming from the cloud, but experts say it’s hindered by a lack of compelling games and a somewhat convoluted pricing scheme.One analyst calls Tuesday’s launch more of a public beta test than an actual debut.
Google, Amazon, and Apple add new ways to protect your privacy
Here is how to use new settings from Google, Amazon, and Apple to better protect your privacy.We’ve seen report after report of contractors listening to your voice commands and history logs that go back way too far.
Here is how to use new settings from Google, Amazon, and Apple to better protect your privacy.We’ve seen report after report of contractors listening to your voice commands and history logs that go back way too far.
iPhone 11 Pro vs Pixel 4: Ultimate camera comparison
Two stellar smartphone cameras, but how do they compare?
Two stellar smartphone cameras, but how do they compare?
Google steps into fitness, buys Fitbit for $2.1 billion
NEW YORK -- Google, the company that helped make it fun to just sit around surfing the web, is jumping into the fitness-tracker business with both feet, buying Fitbit for about $2.1 billion.The deal could put Google in direct competition with Apple and Samsung in the highly competitive market for smartwatches and other wearable electronics.
NEW YORK -- Google, the company that helped make it fun to just sit around surfing the web, is jumping into the fitness-tracker business with both feet, buying Fitbit for about $2.1 billion.The deal could put Google in direct competition with Apple and Samsung in the highly competitive market for smartwatches and other wearable electronics.
Google claims breakthrough in blazingly fast computing
SAN FRANCISCO — Google announced Wednesday it has achieved a breakthrough in quantum computing, saying it has developed an experimental processor that took just minutes to complete a calculation that would take the world's best supercomputer thousands of years.The feat could open the door someday to machines so blazingly fast that they could revolutionize such tasks as finding new medicines, developing vastly smarter artificial intelligence systems and, most ominously, cracking the encryption that protects some of the world's most closely guarded secrets.Such practical uses are still probably decades away, scientists said.
SAN FRANCISCO — Google announced Wednesday it has achieved a breakthrough in quantum computing, saying it has developed an experimental processor that took just minutes to complete a calculation that would take the world's best supercomputer thousands of years.The feat could open the door someday to machines so blazingly fast that they could revolutionize such tasks as finding new medicines, developing vastly smarter artificial intelligence systems and, most ominously, cracking the encryption that protects some of the world's most closely guarded secrets.Such practical uses are still probably decades away, scientists said.
Google unveils its latest smartphone at an event in New York City
NEW YORK CITY -- Google unveils its latest smartphone at an event in New York City.
NEW YORK CITY -- Google unveils its latest smartphone at an event in New York City.
States led by Texas target Google in new antitrust probe
WASHINGTON — Fifty U.S. states and territories, led by Texas, announced an investigation into Google's "potential monopolistic behavior."The Monday announcement closely followed one from a separate group of states Friday that disclosed an investigation into Facebook's market dominance.
WASHINGTON — Fifty U.S. states and territories, led by Texas, announced an investigation into Google's "potential monopolistic behavior."The Monday announcement closely followed one from a separate group of states Friday that disclosed an investigation into Facebook's market dominance.
YouTube to pay $170M fine after violating kids' privacy law
WASHINGTON — Google will pay $170 million to settle allegations its YouTube video service collected personal data on children without their parents' consent.The company agreed to work with video creators to label material aimed at kids and said it will limit data collection when users view such videos, regardless of their age.Some lawmakers and children's advocacy groups, however, complained that the settlement terms aren't strong enough to rein in a company whose parent, Alphabet, made a profit of $30.7 billion last year on revenue of $136.8 billion, mostly from targeted ads.Google will pay $136 million to the Federal Trade Commission and $34 million to New York state, which had a similar investigation.
WASHINGTON — Google will pay $170 million to settle allegations its YouTube video service collected personal data on children without their parents' consent.The company agreed to work with video creators to label material aimed at kids and said it will limit data collection when users view such videos, regardless of their age.Some lawmakers and children's advocacy groups, however, complained that the settlement terms aren't strong enough to rein in a company whose parent, Alphabet, made a profit of $30.7 billion last year on revenue of $136.8 billion, mostly from targeted ads.Google will pay $136 million to the Federal Trade Commission and $34 million to New York state, which had a similar investigation.
Ex-Google worker charged with stealing secrets sold to Uber
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A former Google engineer was charged Tuesday with stealing closely guarded secrets that he later sold to Uber as the ride-hailing service scrambled to catch up in the high-stakes race to build robotic vehicles.The indictment filed by the U.S. Attorney's office in San Jose, California, is an offshoot of a lawsuit filed in 2017 by Waymo, a self-driving car pioneer spun off from Google.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A former Google engineer was charged Tuesday with stealing closely guarded secrets that he later sold to Uber as the ride-hailing service scrambled to catch up in the high-stakes race to build robotic vehicles.The indictment filed by the U.S. Attorney's office in San Jose, California, is an offshoot of a lawsuit filed in 2017 by Waymo, a self-driving car pioneer spun off from Google.
Google will now pay you if the price of your airfare drops
Google will now pay you if the price of your airfare drops!Google has several new features to try including a way to search for podcasts and a new way to navigate using Google Maps, but the most compelling new feature is a "flight price guarantee" that refunds you the difference if the price of your flight goes down after you book!Podcasts are now in Google SearchAre you listening to podcasts?
Google will now pay you if the price of your airfare drops!Google has several new features to try including a way to search for podcasts and a new way to navigate using Google Maps, but the most compelling new feature is a "flight price guarantee" that refunds you the difference if the price of your flight goes down after you book!Podcasts are now in Google SearchAre you listening to podcasts?
YouTube, Snapchat, other services down Sunday due to eastern US congestion
NEW YORK — Google officials said users of YouTube and other services were seeing errors or slow performance Sunday, June 2 due to high levels of network congestion in the eastern United States.YouTube, Google Cloud and G Suite services were affected, but Google officials said they believed they has identified the cause of the congestion, and expected to return to normal service shortly.
NEW YORK — Google officials said users of YouTube and other services were seeing errors or slow performance Sunday, June 2 due to high levels of network congestion in the eastern United States.YouTube, Google Cloud and G Suite services were affected, but Google officials said they believed they has identified the cause of the congestion, and expected to return to normal service shortly.
'Talk like a Legend:' John Legend makes cameo as Google Assistant voice
Google announced Wednesday that for a limited time in the United States, John Legend’s voice will be an option in its Google Assistant feature.To access Legend’s voice, Google said you can tell any device that has the Google Assistant, including Google Home speakers, Smart Displays and mobile apps, “Hey Google, talk like a Legend.” You can also switch voices in Assistant Settings.The singer’s voice, recorded using speech synthesis model WaveNet, is available for select content, such as jokes, the forecast and questions like “Why is the sky blue?” and “Who is Chrissy Teigen?” All other responses will continue to be in one of the regular Assistant voices.Google said in a statement that cameo voices have been one of the top requests for its Assistant feature.To read more on Legend’s vocal cameo, click here.
Google announced Wednesday that for a limited time in the United States, John Legend’s voice will be an option in its Google Assistant feature.To access Legend’s voice, Google said you can tell any device that has the Google Assistant, including Google Home speakers, Smart Displays and mobile apps, “Hey Google, talk like a Legend.” You can also switch voices in Assistant Settings.The singer’s voice, recorded using speech synthesis model WaveNet, is available for select content, such as jokes, the forecast and questions like “Why is the sky blue?” and “Who is Chrissy Teigen?” All other responses will continue to be in one of the regular Assistant voices.Google said in a statement that cameo voices have been one of the top requests for its Assistant feature.To read more on Legend’s vocal cameo, click here.