Google promised an Assistant driving mode for phones would arrive in mid-2019, but that clearly didn’t happen — over a year passed without any sign of it. It appears to be ready, though. XDA-Developers has discovered (via Android Police) that Google Assistant’s driving mode is at least partially enabled for Android users. The interface has changed considerably from the I/O 2019 demo you see…
AI Weekly: U.S. lawmakers decry the chilling effect of federal surveillance at protests
October 17, 2020
There’s a thread that runs through police violence against Black people and connects to overpolicing, onerous and problematic tactics like facial recognition, AI-powered predictive policing, and federal agencies’ surveillance of protestors. It’s almost a loop; at the…
Localization is a tricky issue for all content creators. It can take significant time and resources to make their work fully accessible to folks who speak different languages. One company thinks it has cracked part of that code with an artificial intelligence system that…
Google Assistant is rolling out on Samsung's 2020 TVs in the US
October 16, 2020
After years of trying to make Bixby happen, Samsung is coming around and enabling support for better AI helpers like Alexa and Google Assistant. The company announced at CES this year that you can choose to use these assistants on its QLED 8K TV, but Google Assistant only just became available. It’ll work on 2020 models of Samsung’s Sero, Serif, Frame, Terrace, Crystal UHD and 8K and 4K QLEDs.
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…
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 Fill comes after the launch of Smart Cleanup as Google looks to inject G Suite with more AI-powered functionality.
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…
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, and retail partners increasingly rely on remote care during the pandemic.
As with other virtual health-focused platforms…
