Google releases dataset to train more sophisticated question-answering systems
You’ve likely used an AI question-answering system in the not-too-distant past, and probably without realizing it. Think chatbots: You ask a question about something and get a response in return.
Google.org donates $2 million to Wikipedia’s parent org
Google.org President Jacquelline Fuller today announced a $2 million contribution to the Wikimedia Endowment. An additional $1.1 million donation went to the Wikimedia Foundation, courtesy of a campaign where Google employees decided where to direct Google’s donation dollars. The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit organization behind Wikipedia, while the Endowment is the fund.
Facebook Ad-Spend Growth From National Marketers Is Slowing, Intelligence Firm’s Data Shows
Slight cracks might be appearing in the dominance of the digital-advertising duopoly, particularly Facebook, as some data suggests a slowdown in the rate of ad-revenue growth for the giant social platform, as well as a shrinking of the combined Google-Facebook share of the overall advertising pie.
Microsoft ends 2018 as America’s most valuable company
Barring any further stock market shocks, Microsoft finishes the year ahead of Apple and Amazon as America’s most valuable publicly-quoted company, despite never making it to $1 trillion.
Google and the UN-ESCAP sign MoU for AI for Social Good
Google and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in collaboration with the National Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy Office of Thailand, hosted the Asia-Pacific AI for Social Good Summit in Bangkok, bringing together researchers, policy makers, NGOs, and the private sector from across the Asia-Pacific region to discuss the use of AI for Social Good.
Google launches job search feature
Google enhances user experience through its search engine with a new feature “job search” aiming to capitalise on growing job advertising opportunities, while LINE discloses its success of LINE Jobs that help graduates to 24,000 positions, accounting for income of over 370 million baht within five months.
Facebook Portal needs more At least it just added YouTube
To offset the creepiness of having Facebook’s camera and microphone in your house, its new Portal video chat gadget needs best-in-class software. Its hardware is remarkably well done, plus Messenger and the photo frame feature work great. But its third-party app platform was pretty skimpy when the device launched this week.
Apple, Amazon, Google and others sign letter opposing Trump’s attempt to redefine gender
A list of 50-plus companies, including some of tech’s top names, joined forces this week to pen a letter calling out the Trump administration over a reported plan to narrow gender definitions.
Amazon reportedly has 63% U.S. smart speaker share, eclipsing Google and Apple
Amazon’s Echo family has dominated the smart speaker market for years, and the latest consumer survey from Strategy Analytics offers details on the most popular models — as well as the performance of rival speakers from Google and Apple.
Google Maps amplifies its app for electric vehicle owners
Google Maps is beefing up its app to help electric vehicle owners find the most suitable and closest place to charge up.
Study calls out ‘dark patterns’ in Facebook and Google that push users toward less privacy
More scrutiny than ever is in place on the tech industry, and while high-profile cases like Mark Zuckerberg’s appearance in front of lawmakers garner headlines, there are subtler forces at work. This study from a Norway watchdog group eloquently and painstakingly describes the ways that companies like Facebook and Google push their users towards making choices that negatively affect their own privacy
Google enlarges cloud team in Thailand
Google is expanding headcount at its local cloud team threefold to challenge its rivals AWS and Microsoft, to capitalising on growth in cloud computing in Southeast Asia.