During a livestreamed event this afternoon, Google detailed the ways it’s applying AI and machine learning to improve the Google Search experience.
Soon, Google says users will be able to see how busy places are in Google Maps without having to search for specific beaches, parks, grocery stores, gas stations, laundromats, pharmacies, or other business, an expansion of Google’s existing…
Whisper’s hearing aids use AI to boost speech and reduce noise
October 15, 2020
Whisper, a startup developing AI-powered hearing aids that self-tune over time, emerged from stealth today with $50 million. CEO Dwight Crow says the funds will be put toward the company’s go-to-market efforts as it ramps up production of its first product, the Whisper…
Google’s Smart Fill autocompletes Sheets columns using AI
October 15, 2020
In June, Google debuted Smart Fill, an AI-powered Google Sheets feature that automatically detects patterns, generates formulas, and autocompletes columns. Now, following a months-long beta, Smart Fill is today launching into general availability for all G Suite users.
Smart…
UC Berkeley AI researchers say they’ve created AI for autonomous vehicles driving in unseen, real-world landscapes that outperforms leading methods for delivery robots driving on sidewalks. Called LaND, for Learning to Navigate from Disengagements, the navigation system studies disengagement events, then predicts when disengagements will happen in the future. The approach is meant to provide…
Balto, which is developing a conversational AI platform for call centers, today announced the close of a $10 million round. A spokesperson said the capital will enable Balto to triple the size of its go-to-market team while bolstering product development.
With customer…
98point6, a telemedicine startup whose platform pairs clinicians with AI to provide text-based care, today closed a $119 million venture funding round. The company says it will use the proceeds to further invest in R&D and expand its practice as employers, health plans…
Access Now resigns from Partnership on AI due to lack of change among tech companies
October 15, 2020
International digital and human rights organization Access Now has resigned in protest from its role as a member of the Partnership on AI (PAI) due to a lack of change among businesses associated with the group or incorporation of opinions posed by civil society organizations. PAI was formed in September 2016 by a consortium of Big Tech companies and corporate giants like Apple, Amazon, Facebook…
Google’s breast cancer-predicting AI research is useless without transparency, critics say
October 15, 2020
Back in January, Google Health, the branch of Google focused on health-related research, clinical tools, and partnerships for health care services, released an AI model trained on over 90,000 mammogram X-rays that the company said achieved better results than human…
For over a year, software giant Atlassian has been investing heavily in AI- and machine learning-powered tools across its portfolio. Today, the company detailed the recent fruits of its labor, revealing that it has analyzed patterns from over 174,000 customers to understand…
Since introducing the Google News Initiative in 2018, the company has used the $300 million journalism project to fight disinformation and help publishers make money. Now, Google is also investing in journalism-specific software with Journalist Studio, a suite of free tools available to reporters and media organizations.
The company says the new tools will aid investigative journalism and other…
