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Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has announced the appointment of Anat Ashkenazi as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Ashkenazi, 51, will assume her new role on July 31, 2024. She brings over 23 years of experience in financial, strategy, and operations roles, having previously served as Executive Vice President and CFO at Eli Lilly and Company. Pichai expressed excitement about Ashkenazi’s appointment, emphasizing the company’s focus on innovation and growth in the AI era.

Google has expanded the availability of its Gemini AI assistant app to Android users in the UK and Europe, with an iOS version coming soon. The app can be used on supported Android devices by switching from Google Assistant and enables users to get help with various tasks like fixing a flat tire or writing a thank-you note through text, voice, or image input. Currently compatible with devices like the Google Pixel 8 series, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and Nothing Phone 2, the availability may vary by region.

Switching from an iPhone to an Android phone can be a complicated process, especially when it comes to transferring data. One of the challenges has been migrating Live Photos, which are short clips taken before and after a photo is snapped on an iPhone. However, Google’s Data Transfer Tool (also known as Pixel Migrate on Pixel devices) is set to resolve this issue by converting Live Photos to Motion Photos during the transfer process.

Google has announced a plethora of new features for its Android ecosystem, including the long-awaited edit feature for Google Messages, a streamlined hotspot experience, and support for standalone home screen widgets for smart home appliances. Wear OS users can now also make contactless payments with PayPal and easily move calls between devices. These new features aim to enhance the user experience and make everyday tasks more convenient.

Google has made another confusing branding change, this time ditching the “Chromecast built-in” label in favor of simply “Cast.” This latest rebranding underscores the company’s erratic approach to branding, exemplified by both brilliant (Gmail) and boneheaded (messaging permutations) choices.

Google’s new AI tool, ‘AI Overviews,’ has garnered attention for generating erroneous information. Reports on social media and news outlets have documented instances where the tool advised users to consume rocks, add glue to pizza, and clean washing machines with dishwasher detergent. The tool was released in the U.S. ahead of a planned worldwide launch later this year. Google announced the experimental feature on May 14 at its I/O conference. However, it has faced criticism after allegedly sourcing content from satirical websites like The Onion and comedic Reddit posts. The tool, which summarizes search results using an AI model, has been accused of providing incorrect information, such as claiming that Barack Obama was a founding father, John Adams graduated from the University of Wisconsin, and that a dog played in the Super Bowl. In response, Google representatives stated that the examples seen were uncommon queries and do not represent most users’ experiences.

On May 24, various significant events occurred in India, covering business, politics, and criminal investigations. E-commerce giant Flipkart announced the addition of Google as a minority investor, while Hindalco reported a 32% increase in its quarterly net profit. In other news, the Pune Police revealed an attempt to frame a family driver in a car accident case. Additionally, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a notice to JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna in connection with a sexual harassment case. India’s crude oil imports rose by 7% year-on-year, contributing to the net import bill’s increase. The S&P BSE announced changes to the Sensex index, replacing Wipro with Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones. Furthermore, the Delhi Police detained a key suspect in the Dombivali boiler blast case, and a Delhi court sent the personal secretary of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to judicial custody for allegedly misbehaving with AAP MP Swati Maliwal.

Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company backed by Google and Amazon, has appointed Krishna Rao as its first Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Rao joins Anthropic from Airbnb, where he was the Global Head of Corporate & Business Development. He brings a wealth of experience in finance, strategy, and business operations to his new role. Anthropic is known for its generative AI systems, such as Claude, which replicate human-like interactions. The company is rapidly expanding and is on track to achieve over $850 million in annualized revenues by the end of 2024.

In response to publisher concerns about Google’s AI-powered search results potentially harming their web traffic, CEO Sundar Pichai emphasized Google’s dedication to prioritizing high-quality content and user satisfaction. He highlighted the advancements in AI models like Gemini and expressed optimism about the web’s future. Despite publishers’ fears of losing web traffic, Pichai compared the shift to AI search to the transition from desktop to mobile browsing, suggesting that user curiosity and engagement with AI-generated content would drive innovation and value.

Google’s recent I/O 2024 event highlighted the growing trend of AI integration into our lives. However, the question remains: is there a market for dedicated AI hardware when smartphones are becoming increasingly powerful in this regard? This article delves into the current state of AI gadgets and explores the advantages of on-device AI processing, particularly Google’s Gemini model, which offers the versatility, convenience, and cost-effectiveness that dedicated hardware struggles to match.