Google is now upgrading Chromebooks with the help of a new AI chatbot named Gemini. This aligns with Google’s strategy to incorporate more and more artificial intelligence in the Chrome Operating System, the software in Chrome books. Recently, Google announced several new AI-related tools for Chrome OS and new Chromebook models.
New AI Features for Chromebooks
New for this year, Chromebook Plus laptops now come with an integrated Google AI chatbot called Gemini. This interaction of AI with the existing systems is meant to ease various tasks for the users. For example, the “Help Me Write” option is designed to be used in any text field and can say to the AI, rewrite this, rephrase this, or make it more formal or informal. New features include customization of wallpapers with the help of generative AI and a new Magic Editor for Google Photos functioning on Chromebook Plus. Furthermore, the Live Caption feature can now offer subtitles in other languages during a Zoom or Google Meet call and can also be useful in closing the language gap.
Gemini also has a standalone app UI. Some of the things that users can request the program to perform include; writing a cover letter or even editing the grammar in an essay. This makes Chromebooks more flexible and easy to use.
The Chromebook Plus Certification
The Chromebook Plus verification program was launched by Google last year, which is quite like the Intel Evo for Windows laptops. It makes it easier for the users to look for a Chromebook that meets the basic standard of the physical features of the Chromebook. Chromebook Plus in most cases comes with basic configurations at $350, which is cheaper than most Windows laptops and MacBooks. Companies like HP, Acer, and Asus are re-releasing new Chromebook Plus models to increase the choice.
Targeting the Education Market
Chromebooks have been common, especially in schools, though their usage has reduced in the recent past. With the new AI features, Google aims to boost the sales of ChromeOS and reignite the growth of Chromebooks especially in the education market. Incorporating AI into its environment, Google plans to offer relevant practical tools that may facilitate student learning and teachers’ work.
This served as a major competition to Apple and Microsoft’s products in the market, especially their handheld products such as the iPod and the Tablet among others.
This is not to mention that Google is not the only IT giant active in the education segment. The iPhone maker is pushing its tenth-generation iPad, which now costs $349, making it an Apple tablet in a good position. At the same time, Microsoft is also injecting artificial intelligence capabilities into Windows, with fifty million PCs featuring such capabilities next year.
Social media platforms are among the primary corporations that are investing much in AI, to design user-friendly products that customers are likely to purchase. Responding to the competition from threat actors such as OpenAI and Microsoft, Google has integrated AI within primary offerings like search and chatbots. Nevertheless, generative AI tools have some problems with accuracy up to a certain point. Google’s new tool to let AI write the search summary has been said to be providing data in the wrong context and Microsoft’s new “Recall “of taking screenshots very often has privacy issues.
Successes and Limitations
There is an increasing fight for companies to integrate the use of AI into popular products. Apple’s global developer conference is set to take place soon and it is anticipated that it will be used to unveil the company’s artificial intelligence direction. Although it distances itself from the idea that it lags in the development of AI solutions, critics think it is ready to address the issue of emerging distrust of AI at the same time it wonders how successful its features will be.
To sum it all up, Google is introducing Gemini and several AI facilities to Chromebooks not only to improve their performance and attractiveness but also, particularly, for educational purposes. The ongoing race to bring AI into mainstream technology products is growing faster given the stiff competition from Apple and Microsoft.
Can AI Agents Read Your Mind? The Privacy Risks of These Super-Helpers
AI agents are extending their abilities and functioning to make routine tasks seamless and much easier. However, artificial intelligence agents like ChatGPT-4.0 and Google’s Project Astra have their strengths and weaknesses, and the main weakness is the violation of privacy.
AI agent is a broad term that encompasses any AI system that actively and intentionally operates in an environment to achieve specific goals.
An AI agent is an artificial companion with natural language understanding or the ability to engage with a user in real time. Unlike conventional AI applications like the Google Voice Assistant, Siri, and Alexa, these new agents can engage in text-based, image-based, and voice-based agent communication. They are popular in industries such as banking, telecommunication, and insurance to work with customers’ questions and other activities.
During the launch of Project Astra, Sundar Pichai the CEO of Google mentioned that it does not feel like one is typing into a computer anymore as it is now a conversation with an AI agent. These AI agents interact with the surrounding environment through their embedded sensors and posit results in real time through AI-based approaches.
While both are artificial intelligence methods, how do AI agents differ from Large Language Models (LLMs)?
AI agents with generative AI are not similar to a type of AI known as Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT-3 or GPT-4. Whereas LLMs provide text-based answers, AI agents are more natural and sensitive to the conversations in which they participate. For instance, GPT-4.0 Project Astra and or any other AI agents have been designed to provoke sound or video response to the prepared inputs, unlike other normal LLMs.
Privacy Threats posed by Self-Organizing AI Agents
However, as it has been observed, there are several privacy threats associated with AI agents even with their numerous benefits. These agents interact with users’ personally identifiable information and environment that these agents can use to enhance the algorithms. The use of this access presents questions on the handling and security of personal details.
Due to the capabilities of identifying and utilizing personal data, there is an increasing call for controlling the risks posed by AI agents through policies and legislation. These risks thus have to be brought to the forefront of users and necessary measures ought to be taken to enhance users’ privacy when using such technologies.
Other Issues with AI Agents
Besides the privacy challenges, AI agents have other challenges too. These include:
Reliability: Focusing on the reliability of information given by AI agents.
Technical Complexity: It is often difficult to manage the complex technology involved in the execution of AI agents.
Potential Biases: Advanced AI agents can learn from the data fed into the system and provide results with inherent prejudice at times.
Conclusion
AI agents such as ChatGPT-4.0 and Project Astra are revolutionizing the human practice of engaging with technology in society. However, with their increased functionalities, they pose severe privacy inquiries. Users should be conscious of the risks involved and the developers should ensure legal frameworks are put in place to protect the users. As we proceed with the adoption of these technologies, striking a balance between the use of the technologies and resultant privacy concerns will be key.
Can AI Get Even Smarter? OpenAI Races to Develop Its Next Big Language Model
OpenAI has initiated training for a new version of the GPT-4 model which will be used starting from now in the latest generation of ChatGPT, and DALL-E. This new model is expected to help OpenAI reach the development of what is known as “AGI” which is short for artificial general intelligence, defined as AI that has mental prowess equivalent to the human brain.
In addition to revealing the new AI, OpenAI has publicly unveiled a safety committee it has been working on. OpenAI has created a safety and security committee, with such members as its CEO, Sam Altman, to assess the risks of OpenAI’s AI systems. At the end of the 90-day, evaluation, the committee will make recommendations that will help to standardize such products to make them fit for use by the citizens. It will be remembered that OpenAI highlighted the relevance of this effort suggesting that the conversation on AI safety should be unbanned at this time.
Challenges and Controversies
OpenAI is a technology company which is based in San Francisco and it is among the largest firms operating in the AI market. Its technologies have been implemented in various industries by some of the biggest industry players such as Microsoft, who actually has invested in OpenAI. However, the company is currently facing several challenges:
Lawsuits and Staff Departures: They are currently involved in several lawsuits, the mass exodus of key personnel last year, and increasing questions about the many harms that can be caused by AI.
Voice Technology Controversy: Recently, OpenAI has released an update for its latest prompt-based AI known as GPT-4.0 or GPT-4 Omni, which has enhanced the ChatGPT voice interaction experience. Scarlett Johansson, the Hollywood actress, said one of the AI voices was almost like her real voice and this was known as Sky AI though she declined to be involved. Critics described the character as resembling Johansson in the trailer, but OpenAI stated they hired a voice actor; Johansson has threatened to sue.
Copyright Issues: Davide also highlights new legal threats against OpenAI from news organizations such as the New York Times. These organizations claim that OpenAI’s approach to obtaining its AI model, with large swaths of internet data, violates their copyrights.
Leadership Changes: Recent events on the same reveal that OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever and his team co-lead, Jan Leike, have recently resigned. Sutskever had reservations about the dangers of AI, but he was also one of the many who took part in the ousting of CEO Altman in November. He was later reinstated and he brought in Sutskever as his second in command and other directors who supported his decision to reinstate Altman resigned.
As a follow-up to the earlier request for nominations of members for the Safety Committee, a new leadership has been announced to lead the Safety Committee Members.
The former new safety committee shall comprise Bret Taylor as its leader, Quora’s CEO, Adam D’Angelo, former CEO of Sony Entertainment, Nicole Seligman, and the current CEO of the company, Sam Altman. This announcement came precisely after the former members of the board demanded more regulations in the use of AI technologies with an argument that giants like OpenAI cannot engage in self-regulation.
OpenAI’s recent work in deepening its AI research and safety protocols proves the company’s dedication to the responsible development of AI despite the challenges ahead and current controversies.
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