• Google lays off hundreds working on its voice-activated assistant

    From axe cometh@axemen@alphabet.com to alt.free.newsservers, comp.ai.philosophy,comp.internet.services.google on Thu Jan 11 12:30:01 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.ai.philosophy

    THE SCOOP
    Google is laying off hundreds of people working on its voice-activated
    Google Assistant software and eliminating a similar number of roles on its knowledge and information product teams, a Google spokesperson confirmed
    to Semafor on Wednesday.

    Google told Semafor the restructuring would help improve Google Assistant
    as it explores integrating newer artificial intelligence technology into
    its products. The company announced in October that it was using its generative AI chatbot Bard to build a new version of Google Assistant that “extends beyond voice, understands and adapts to you and handles personal tasks in new ways.”

    Google has been making periodic job cuts over the past year, including in
    its recruiting and news divisions, but it has not conducted company-wide layoffs since last January, when it eliminated approximately 12,000 roles.
    Its parent Alphabet reported having over 180,000 employees as of September 2023.

    Title iconKNOW MORE
    Google Assistant debuted in 2016 to compete with Amazon’s Alexa and
    Apple’s Siri, and together, the three voice assistants defined the first
    wave of mainstream question-and-answer products powered by artificial intelligence.

    Over the past year, large language models — the tech behind OpenAI’s
    ChatGPT and similar tools — have transformed the market, and tech giants
    are now figuring out the best ways to integrate them into existing product lines.

    Title iconNOTABLE
    Google is also planning to restructure its 30,000-person advertising sales department, prompting anxiety about job cuts, The Information reported.
    The new Bard-idified Google Assistant has yet to be released, but
    9to5Google has an overview of several new features reportedly coming to Android phones.

    https://www.semafor.com/article/01/10/2024/google-lays-off-hundreds- working-on-its-voice-activated-assistant

    --- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114
  • From Truthslave@TS@home.com to alt.free.newsservers,comp.ai.philosophy,comp.internet.services.google on Fri Jan 12 21:12:45 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.ai.philosophy

    On 11/01/2024 11:30, axe cometh wrote:
    THE SCOOP
    Google is laying off hundreds of people working on its voice-activated
    Google Assistant software and eliminating a similar number of roles on its knowledge and information product teams, a Google spokesperson confirmed
    to Semafor on Wednesday.

    Google told Semafor the restructuring would help improve Google Assistant
    as it explores integrating newer artificial intelligence technology into
    its products. The company announced in October that it was using its generative AI chatbot Bard to build a new version of Google Assistant that “extends beyond voice, understands and adapts to you and handles personal tasks in new ways.”

    Google has been making periodic job cuts over the past year, including in
    its recruiting and news divisions, but it has not conducted company-wide layoffs since last January, when it eliminated approximately 12,000 roles. Its parent Alphabet reported having over 180,000 employees as of September 2023.

    Title iconKNOW MORE
    Google Assistant debuted in 2016 to compete with Amazon’s Alexa and
    Apple’s Siri, and together, the three voice assistants defined the first
    wave of mainstream question-and-answer products powered by artificial intelligence.

    Over the past year, large language models — the tech behind OpenAI’s
    ChatGPT and similar tools — have transformed the market, and tech giants
    are now figuring out the best ways to integrate them into existing product lines.

    Title iconNOTABLE
    Google is also planning to restructure its 30,000-person advertising sales department, prompting anxiety about job cuts, The Information reported.
    The new Bard-idified Google Assistant has yet to be released, but
    9to5Google has an overview of several new features reportedly coming to Android phones.

    https://www.semafor.com/article/01/10/2024/google-lays-off-hundreds- working-on-its-voice-activated-assistant



    So no room now for human intervention.

    None but the Ai to screen their mistakes.
    This is a significant moment.

    Personalized to also mean depersonalized.
    --- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114
  • From Truthslave@TS@home.com to alt.free.newsservers,comp.ai.philosophy,comp.internet.services.google on Fri Jan 12 21:16:49 2024
    From Newsgroup: comp.ai.philosophy

    On 12/01/2024 21:12, Truthslave wrote:
    On 11/01/2024 11:30, axe cometh wrote:
    THE SCOOP
    Google is laying off hundreds of people working on its voice-activated
    Google Assistant software and eliminating a similar number of roles on
    its
    knowledge and information product teams, a Google spokesperson confirmed
    to Semafor on Wednesday.

    Google told Semafor the restructuring would help improve Google Assistant
    as it explores integrating newer artificial intelligence technology into
    its products. The company announced in October that it was using its
    generative AI chatbot Bard to build a new version of Google Assistant
    that
    “extends beyond voice, understands and adapts to you and handles personal
    tasks in new ways.”

    Google has been making periodic job cuts over the past year, including in
    its recruiting and news divisions, but it has not conducted company-wide
    layoffs since last January, when it eliminated approximately 12,000
    roles.
    Its parent Alphabet reported having over 180,000 employees as of
    September
    2023.

    Title iconKNOW MORE
    Google Assistant debuted in 2016 to compete with Amazon’s Alexa and
    Apple’s Siri, and together, the three voice assistants defined the first
    wave of mainstream question-and-answer products powered by artificial
    intelligence.

    Over the past year, large language models — the tech behind OpenAI’s
    ChatGPT and similar tools — have transformed the market, and tech giants
    are now figuring out the best ways to integrate them into existing
    product
    lines.

    Title iconNOTABLE
    Google is also planning to restructure its 30,000-person advertising
    sales
    department, prompting anxiety about job cuts, The Information reported.
    The new Bard-idified Google Assistant has yet to be released, but
    9to5Google has an overview of several new features reportedly coming to
    Android phones.

    https://www.semafor.com/article/01/10/2024/google-lays-off-hundreds-
    working-on-its-voice-activated-assistant



    So no room now for human intervention.

    None but the Ai to screen their mistakes.
    This is a significant moment.

    Personalized to also mean depersonalized.


    "Help!" Alexa , Siri, anyone?
    --- Synchronet 3.20a-Linux NewsLink 1.114