France will take legal action against Google and Apple for &quot;abusive business practices&quot;, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Wednesday.

&quot;I believe in an economy based on justice and I will take Google and Apple before the Paris Commercial Court for abusive business practices&quot; against French start-ups, Le Maire said on RTL radio. He added the action could result in penalties reaching several million euros.

France to take legal action against Google and Apple for 'abusive' practices

France will take legal action against Google and Apple for "abusive business practices", Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Wednesday. "I believe in an economy based on justice and I will take Google and Apple before the Paris Commercial Court for abusive business practices" against French start-ups, Le Maire said on RTL radio. He added the action could result in penalties reaching several million euros.

 France to take legal action against Google and Apple for 'abusive' practices

Alphabet Inc`s Google said on Wednesday it will ban advertisements for cryptocurrencies and related content starting in June.

Under the new policy, the company will ban ads for unregulated or speculative financial products like binary options, cryptocurrency and financial spread betting among others.&nbsp;

In a separate blog post, Google said it took down 3.2 billion ads that violated its advertising policies in 2017, nearly double the number of ads it removed in 2016.

&quot;Improving the ads experience across the web, whether that`s removing harmful ads or intrusive ads, will continue to be a top priority for us,&quot; Scott Spencer, director of sustainable ads, said.&nbsp;

In January, Facebook Inc said it will ban ads promoting financial products and services tied to cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings.

The policy will be implemented across its platforms, including Facebook, Audience Network and Instagram, the company said.

Google said it took down 3.2 billion ads that violated its advertising policies in 2017

Alphabet Inc`s Google said on Wednesday it will ban advertisements for cryptocurrencies and related content starting in June. Under the new policy, the company will ban ads for unregulated or speculative financial products like binary options, cryptocurrency and financial spread betting among others. In a separate blog post, Google said it took down 3.2 billion ads that violated its advertising policies in 2017, nearly double the number of ads it removed in 2016. "Improving the ads experience across the web, whether that`s removing harmful ads or intrusive ads, will continue to be a top priority for us," Scott Spencer, director of sustainable ads, said. In January, Facebook Inc said it will ban ads promoting financial products and services tied to cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings. The policy will be implemented across its platforms, including Facebook, Audience Network and Instagram, the company said.

Google to ban ads on cryptocurrencies, related products

The 2018 Winter Paralympics which is officially known as the XII Paralympic Winter Games and commonly known as the <a href="https://g.co/doodle/pmjaqg">2018 PyeongChang Paralympics</a> is set to start from today with the glitzy and glamorous opening ceremony.

Winter Paralympics is an international winter multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities. It is scheduled to be held in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon Province, South Korea, from 9 to 18 March 2018.

It is governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

Pyeongchang launched its third consecutive bid to&nbsp;win the hosting rights of Winter Olympic and&nbsp;<a href="https://g.co/doodle/pmjaqg">Paralympic Games</a>.&nbsp;It will be the first Winter Paralympics held in South Korea.

Recently, the mega sporting event, Winter Olympic 2018, was concluded successfully by South Korea.

Alpine skiing, Biathlon, Cross-country skiing, Ice sledge hockey, snowboarding and wheelchair curling are the games that will be included in the 2018 Winter Paralympics.

PyeongChang will be the stage for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and most snow sports.

Alpine skiing events will take place in Jeongseon, and all ice sports will be played in the coastal city of Gangneung.

&nbsp;

The 2018 Winter Paralympics is scheduled to take place in Pyeongchang County, South Korea from 9 to 18 March 2018

The 2018 Winter Paralympics which is officially known as the XII Paralympic Winter Games and commonly known as the 2018 PyeongChang Paralympics is set to start from today with the glitzy and glamorous opening ceremony. Winter Paralympics is an international winter multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities. It is scheduled to be held in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon Province, South Korea, from 9 to 18 March 2018. It is governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Pyeongchang launched its third consecutive bid to win the hosting rights of Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. It will be the first Winter Paralympics held in South Korea. Recently, the mega sporting event, Winter Olympic 2018, was concluded successfully by South Korea. Alpine skiing, Biathlon, Cross-country skiing, Ice sledge hockey, snowboarding and wheelchair curling are the games that will be included in the 2018 Winter Paralympics. PyeongChang will be the stage for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and most snow sports. Alpine skiing events will take place in Jeongseon, and all ice sports will be played in the coastal city of Gangneung.

Google celebrates 2018 Winter Paralympics kick off

Google has rolled out its first preview for developers of its latest Android version &nbsp;Android P.

Devices that eligible for the Android P preview for developers&#39; update are all Pixel devices and Android Emulator.

Nexus users may not receive the update the Google had ended OS support for Nexus phones due to the end of their two-year contract.

According to the Google&#39;s statement, the second preview would be released in May and will be followed by further updates in June and July.

Android P has added various new features with improvement in its settings and notification bar, reports said.

The users will be able to see photos and&nbsp;sticker directly from the notification bar, reports added.

The update also offers smart replies, offering replies on the basis of contextual information of chat history.

For past, some time Google and lot of other apps have been criticised for gathering user&#39;s data by running in the background. New android P will also offer restricting apps from accessing mics and camera.

There are several design changes as well including changes&nbsp;in home screen and lock screen. 
&nbsp;

Devices that eligible for the Android P preview for developer's update are all Pixel devices and Android Emulator

Google has rolled out its first preview for developers of its latest Android version Android P. Devices that eligible for the Android P preview for developers' update are all Pixel devices and Android Emulator. Nexus users may not receive the update the Google had ended OS support for Nexus phones due to the end of their two-year contract. According to the Google's statement, the second preview would be released in May and will be followed by further updates in June and July. Android P has added various new features with improvement in its settings and notification bar, reports said. The users will be able to see photos and sticker directly from the notification bar, reports added. The update also offers smart replies, offering replies on the basis of contextual information of chat history. For past, some time Google and lot of other apps have been criticised for gathering user's data by running in the background. New android P will also offer restricting apps from accessing mics and camera. There are several design changes as well including changes in home screen and lock screen.

Google rolls out first Android P preview for developers

Google Doodle celebrated International Women&#39;s Day with 12 different powerful doodles compiled in one main doodle on Thursday.

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The doodle is featuring doodles made by twelve artists from twelve different countries.

The search engine had asked artists to contribute and illustrate the reflections of their own personal experiences as women.

The brief that was given to the artists was &#39;growth&#39;.

Reportedly the illustrators who made these colourful comics are from Japan, England, Brazil, Thailand, Sri Lanka, South Africa, America, India, Germany, Mexico, Pakistan, and Italy.&nbsp;

Each doodle tells a&nbsp;story of a moment, an event or a person that made an impact on their life the most, and portrays the different generation&nbsp;of women at various times in their life.

Stories related to a moment of becoming a mother to narrating the experience of&nbsp;coming&nbsp;out&nbsp;as a&nbsp;transgender woman.

Google had asked artists to contribute and illustrate the reflections of their own personal experiences as women

Google Doodle celebrated International Women's Day with 12 different powerful doodles compiled in one main doodle on Thursday. × The doodle is featuring doodles made by twelve artists from twelve different countries. The search engine had asked artists to contribute and illustrate the reflections of their own personal experiences as women. The brief that was given to the artists was 'growth'. Reportedly the illustrators who made these colourful comics are from Japan, England, Brazil, Thailand, Sri Lanka, South Africa, America, India, Germany, Mexico, Pakistan, and Italy. Each doodle tells a story of a moment, an event or a person that made an impact on their life the most, and portrays the different generation of women at various times in their life. Stories related to a moment of becoming a mother to narrating the experience of coming out as a transgender woman.

Watch: Google celebrates International Women's Day with twelve doodles

Slow internet speed is something we all dread. Don&rsquo;t we always look for reasonable speeds so that we can watch videos without any buffer and we can browse better and get a fast digital life? But sadly, when it comes to 4G speed, we in India are far away from what the world is experiencing. The 4G speed in India is not just poor, it&rsquo;s the slowest in the world. In fact, Pakistan offers better 4G speed than India.&nbsp;

A new report from the mobile analytics company Opensignal, &nbsp;reveals surprising results about the 4G trend in India and across the globe.

According to the Opensignal&#39;s report, 4G download speed in India happens to be the slowest across 88 countries.&nbsp;

The average 4G speed in India has been calculated at 6 Mbps. The actual experience, however, could be even lower.

In fact, people in Pakistan enjoy faster internet with an average 4G speed of 14 Mbps.

In fact, India scored a little better in November last year. But the rank has now gone down. In November, India was found to be offering an average 4G download speed of 6.13 Mbps, which has now declined to 6.07 Mbps.

&nbsp;It&rsquo;s just not India, other countries like Algeria, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand rank among the top 5 countries with slowest 4G speeds.

On the other hand, Singapore, Netherlands, Norway, South Korea and Hungary have been listed as top 5 countries that offer the fastest downloads on 4G.

Opensignal has found that in the fastest countries, the average LTE download speeds have got stalled at 45 Mbps. In other words, no country has yet been able to crack the 50 Mbps mark.

Top 5 countries with slowest 4g speeds

India: 6.07 Mbps 
Algeria: 8.65 Mbps 
Indonesia: 8.92 Mbps 
Philippines: 9.49 Mbps 
Thailand: 9.60 Mbps

Top 5 countries with fastest 4g speeds

Singapore: 44.31 Mbps 
Netherlands: 42.12 Mbps 
Norway: 41.20 Mbps 
South Korea: 40.44 Mbps 
Hungary: 39.18 Mbps

While India may be offering poor 4G speeds, but it is interesting to note that the country has a wide reach. 4G is available in India for around 86 per cent of the time people access the internet. But it&rsquo;s time to pull up the socks. It&rsquo;s time that India maintained a good balance between the reach and the speed. After all, 4G plays an instrumental role in making India a digital India.&nbsp;

Now that we know India has the slowest 4G speed in the world, it becomes important to understand the reasons behind such a poor performance. But before you hold telecom operators alone responsible for it, let&rsquo;s understand that there is more to than what meets the eye. There are a lot of factors that cause patchy connections and lead to substandard internet speeds in India.

There is a huge spike in data demand. Smartphones have redefined the way we use the internet. As a result, 4G networks are lacking the capacity to deliver faster connection speeds. In other words, companies have been failing to match the growing consumer demand.&nbsp;

It has been discovered that the telecom sector is in a deep financial mess. Mobile operators, therefore, seem to be slow in making investments and upgrading infrastructure. Telecom companies have been found to be facing problems in laying optical fibre that ensures high-speed connections. Also deploying new towers remains a challenge for operators.&nbsp;

Also, when it comes to the internet speed, the standard in India has been kept pretty low by the country&#39;s regulatory body. While TRAI is in the process of revising the speed by 4 times, the low benchmark is observed to be as another reason that is causing poor internet speeds in India.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The 4G speed in India is not just poor, it’s the slowest in the world.

Slow internet speed is something we all dread. Don’t we always look for reasonable speeds so that we can watch videos without any buffer and we can browse better and get a fast digital life? But sadly, when it comes to 4G speed, we in India are far away from what the world is experiencing. The 4G speed in India is not just poor, it’s the slowest in the world. In fact, Pakistan offers better 4G speed than India. A new report from the mobile analytics company Opensignal, reveals surprising results about the 4G trend in India and across the globe. According to the Opensignal's report, 4G download speed in India happens to be the slowest across 88 countries. The average 4G speed in India has been calculated at 6 Mbps. The actual experience, however, could be even lower. In fact, people in Pakistan enjoy faster internet with an average 4G speed of 14 Mbps. In fact, India scored a little better in November last year. But the rank has now gone down. In November, India was found to be offering an average 4G download speed of 6.13 Mbps, which has now declined to 6.07 Mbps. It’s just not India, other countries like Algeria, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand rank among the top 5 countries with slowest 4G speeds. On the other hand, Singapore, Netherlands, Norway, South Korea and Hungary have been listed as top 5 countries that offer the fastest downloads on 4G. Opensignal has found that in the fastest countries, the average LTE download speeds have got stalled at 45 Mbps. In other words, no country has yet been able to crack the 50 Mbps mark. Top 5 countries with slowest 4g speeds India: 6.07 Mbps Algeria: 8.65 Mbps Indonesia: 8.92 Mbps Philippines: 9.49 Mbps Thailand: 9.60 Mbps Top 5 countries with fastest 4g speeds Singapore: 44.31 Mbps Netherlands: 42.12 Mbps Norway: 41.20 Mbps South Korea: 40.44 Mbps Hungary: 39.18 Mbps While India may be offering poor 4G speeds, but it is interesting to note that the country has a wide reach. 4G is available in India for around 86 per cent of the time people access the internet. But it’s time to pull up the socks. It’s time that India maintained a good balance between the reach and the speed. After all, 4G plays an instrumental role in making India a digital India. Now that we know India has the slowest 4G speed in the world, it becomes important to understand the reasons behind such a poor performance. But before you hold telecom operators alone responsible for it, let’s understand that there is more to than what meets the eye. There are a lot of factors that cause patchy connections and lead to substandard internet speeds in India. There is a huge spike in data demand. Smartphones have redefined the way we use the internet. As a result, 4G networks are lacking the capacity to deliver faster connection speeds. In other words, companies have been failing to match the growing consumer demand. It has been discovered that the telecom sector is in a deep financial mess. Mobile operators, therefore, seem to be slow in making investments and upgrading infrastructure. Telecom companies have been found to be facing problems in laying optical fibre that ensures high-speed connections. Also deploying new towers remains a challenge for operators. Also, when it comes to the internet speed, the standard in India has been kept pretty low by the country's regulatory body. While TRAI is in the process of revising the speed by 4 times, the low benchmark is observed to be as another reason that is causing poor internet speeds in India. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why India has slower Internet speed than Pakistan

Tech giant Google introduced a new resource called &#39;learn with Google AI&#39; &nbsp;that provides ways to learn about machine learning and how it can be used to solve day to day problems of real life.

Machine learning (ML) is an application of artificial intelligence that provides systems with an&nbsp;ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed.

The company announced this through a blog on their site which mentioned. &quot;to help everyone understand how AI can solve challenging problems, we&rsquo;ve created a resource called Learn with Google AI. This site provides ways to learn about core ML concepts, develop and hone your ML skills, and apply ML to real-world problems. From deep learning experts looking for advanced tutorials and materials on TensorFlow, to &ldquo;curious cats&rdquo; who want to take their first steps with AI, anyone looking for educational content from ML experts at Google can find it here.&#39;&#39;

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Machine learning (ML) is an application of artificial intelligence that provides systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed. (Others)
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&#39;Learn with Google AI&#39; also features a crash course for which can be accessed free of cost.

The course call machine learning crash course provides exercises and interactive visualization with instructional videos that anyone can use to learn and practice Machine learning concepts.

The machine learning crash course was first developed for&nbsp;engineers of Google&nbsp;to learn about machine learning use it to further enhance their work in virtual reality for google earth and their other products.

The blog further said that after the success of Machine learning crash course&#39;s success in the company it inspired them to make it available for everyone.

 
&nbsp;

Machine learning provides systems with an ability to automatically learn things without being explicitly programmed

Tech giant Google introduced a new resource called 'learn with Google AI' that provides ways to learn about machine learning and how it can be used to solve day to day problems of real life. Machine learning (ML) is an application of artificial intelligence that provides systems with an ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed. The company announced this through a blog on their site which mentioned. "to help everyone understand how AI can solve challenging problems, we’ve created a resource called Learn with Google AI. This site provides ways to learn about core ML concepts, develop and hone your ML skills, and apply ML to real-world problems. From deep learning experts looking for advanced tutorials and materials on TensorFlow, to “curious cats” who want to take their first steps with AI, anyone looking for educational content from ML experts at Google can find it here.'' Machine learning (ML) is an application of artificial intelligence that provides systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed. (Others) × 'Learn with Google AI' also features a crash course for which can be accessed free of cost. The course call machine learning crash course provides exercises and interactive visualization with instructional videos that anyone can use to learn and practice Machine learning concepts. The machine learning crash course was first developed for engineers of Google to learn about machine learning use it to further enhance their work in virtual reality for google earth and their other products. The blog further said that after the success of Machine learning crash course's success in the company it inspired them to make it available for everyone.

'Learn with Google AI' to teach machine learning for free

Britain&#39;s National Crime Agency (NCA) has accused Facebook and Google of making profits from &quot;pop-up&quot; brothels on their platforms.&nbsp;

According to a report that featured in a leading international daily, &quot;pop-up&quot; sex clubs were discovered in Cornwall, Cambridge, Swindon and holiday cottages in the Peak district.

The NCA suggests&nbsp;web companies facilitate and enable sexual exploitation of trafficked victims in the UK.

Countries across the globe are now trying to pass legislation for tightened internet practices making internet firms responsible for the content on their platforms.

The Trump administration is already working on a legislation aimed at cracking down on sex trafficking on internet platforms.

&quot;We all have a responsibility to do our part to fight this. That&#39;s why we at Facebook support efforts to pass amended legislation in the House that would allow responsible companies to continue fighting sex trafficking while giving victims the chance to seek justice against companies that knowingly facilitate such abhorrent acts,&quot; Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook&#39;s Chief Operating Officer shared recently.

The NCA suggests web companies facilitate and enable sexual exploitation of trafficked victims in the UK

Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) has accused Facebook and Google of making profits from "pop-up" brothels on their platforms. According to a report that featured in a leading international daily, "pop-up" sex clubs were discovered in Cornwall, Cambridge, Swindon and holiday cottages in the Peak district. The NCA suggests web companies facilitate and enable sexual exploitation of trafficked victims in the UK. Countries across the globe are now trying to pass legislation for tightened internet practices making internet firms responsible for the content on their platforms. The Trump administration is already working on a legislation aimed at cracking down on sex trafficking on internet platforms. "We all have a responsibility to do our part to fight this. That's why we at Facebook support efforts to pass amended legislation in the House that would allow responsible companies to continue fighting sex trafficking while giving victims the chance to seek justice against companies that knowingly facilitate such abhorrent acts," Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's Chief Operating Officer shared recently.

Report suggests Facebook, Google make profits from online 'pop-up' brothels

Babies, dogs and artificial intelligence.

Alphabet Inc&#39;s Google is betting this combination proves irresistible with the Tuesday launch of Google Clips, a pocket-sized digital camera that decides on its own whether an image is interesting enough to shoot.

The $249 device, which is designed to clip onto furniture or other fixed objects, automatically captures subjects that wander into its viewfinder. But unlike some trail or security cameras that are triggered by motion or programmed on timers, Clips is more discerning. Google has trained its electronic brain to recognise smiles, human faces, dogs, cats and rapid sequences of movement.

The company sees big potential with parents and pet owners looking to grab candid shots of kids and animals. The Clip shoots seven-second videos, without audio, that can be edited into GIFs or high-definition photos. These images can then be downloaded and shared via smartphone.

But Google&#39;s bigger ambition is the mastery - and commercialization - of artificial intelligence, an area where it is investing big. Google executives say success requires tight integration between hardware and software, which is why the search-engine giant keeps plugging away at consumer electronics.

The company has yet to dominate with its devices, though its Google Home smart speakers, Chromecast TV dongles and Pixel smartphones have all won high marks from consumers.

Each new gadget wires customers more deeply into its suite of services, which will be essential as Google competes with Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Facebook Inc to be a primary hub for entertainment and shopping.

Google is sharpening its focus with each effort. With its Clips smart camera, the company is trying to hook shutterbugs with a soft introduction to artificial intelligence.

&quot;Being able to have cameras identify what&rsquo;s happening in the home, without having to filter through recordings, this is where the market for video in the home is moving,&quot; said Blake Kozak, principal analyst at IHS Markit.

Some analysts are dubious that Clips will be a blockbuster in a marketplace crowded with digital cameras. Its price could prove too high to justify its narrow uses. Alternatives such as pet camera Petcube, for example, provide more functionality, including remote monitoring. Lack of audio, limited battery life and privacy concerns could further limit Clips&#39; appeal.

But the device is nonetheless an important demonstration of Google&rsquo;s advances in computer vision, a form of artificial intelligence focused on identifying objects, according to Cyril Ebersweiler, founder of the hardware business incubator HAX.

&ldquo;The next thing after sound will be computer vision, and they can&#39;t allow (themselves) not to be doing something,&quot; Ebersweiler said.

THE NEW CANDID CAMERA

&nbsp;

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Google Clips, a pocket-sized digital camera is pictured in San Francisco, California, on February 26, 2018. (Reuters)
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&nbsp;

Google says Clips, which was announced in October, is the outgrowth of years of research into what people like about their favourite images. Consumers overwhelmingly preferred candid shots as opposed to ubiquitous selfies and other posed photos. But casual photographers often cannot whip out their phones in time to catch the action. And many subjects become self-conscious when they know a camera is pointed their way.

&quot;There is gold in between the photos you take&quot; with smartphones, Juston Payne, product lead for Google Clips, told reporters this month. &quot;This camera gets at those moments.&quot;

Payne said his team had no mandate to develop a stand-alone camera. They could have packed more software into smartphone cameras, for instance.

But he said a dedicated device that could fade into the background proved to be the best solution for naturalistic photography. Measuring 2 inches by 2 inches and weighing two ounces, Clips can be hung from a drawer handle or a tree branch at the playground. Payne said the gadget is not meant to be worn.

The camera captures the best shots when subjects are about three feet away and in its frame. It operates three hours on a charge.

Clips is being sold at Best Buy and Verizon retail outlets as well as Google&#39;s online store.

Google says it attempted to address privacy concerns by placing white lights on Clips to alert subjects when the camera is filming. It also intentionally avoided giving the camera a direct connection to the cloud.

The device&#39;s lack of sound may disappoint consumers, but Payne said audio would have encouraged people to film themselves while skydiving or skiing, pursuits the gadget&#39;s auto-capture technology is not yet capable of handling.

Michael Kim, a product design consultant at Kim Advisory Capital, said Clips could be convenient as an &quot;ambient photographer.&quot; But he questioned whether such a pricey &quot;novelty toy&quot; could win a large following.

The company has yet to dominate with its devices, though its Google Home smart speakers, Chromecast TV dongles and Pixel smartphones have all won high marks from consumers.

Babies, dogs and artificial intelligence. Alphabet Inc's Google is betting this combination proves irresistible with the Tuesday launch of Google Clips, a pocket-sized digital camera that decides on its own whether an image is interesting enough to shoot. The $249 device, which is designed to clip onto furniture or other fixed objects, automatically captures subjects that wander into its viewfinder. But unlike some trail or security cameras that are triggered by motion or programmed on timers, Clips is more discerning. Google has trained its electronic brain to recognise smiles, human faces, dogs, cats and rapid sequences of movement. The company sees big potential with parents and pet owners looking to grab candid shots of kids and animals. The Clip shoots seven-second videos, without audio, that can be edited into GIFs or high-definition photos. These images can then be downloaded and shared via smartphone. But Google's bigger ambition is the mastery - and commercialization - of artificial intelligence, an area where it is investing big. Google executives say success requires tight integration between hardware and software, which is why the search-engine giant keeps plugging away at consumer electronics. The company has yet to dominate with its devices, though its Google Home smart speakers, Chromecast TV dongles and Pixel smartphones have all won high marks from consumers. Each new gadget wires customers more deeply into its suite of services, which will be essential as Google competes with Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Facebook Inc to be a primary hub for entertainment and shopping. Google is sharpening its focus with each effort. With its Clips smart camera, the company is trying to hook shutterbugs with a soft introduction to artificial intelligence. "Being able to have cameras identify what’s happening in the home, without having to filter through recordings, this is where the market for video in the home is moving," said Blake Kozak, principal analyst at IHS Markit. Some analysts are dubious that Clips will be a blockbuster in a marketplace crowded with digital cameras. Its price could prove too high to justify its narrow uses. Alternatives such as pet camera Petcube, for example, provide more functionality, including remote monitoring. Lack of audio, limited battery life and privacy concerns could further limit Clips' appeal. But the device is nonetheless an important demonstration of Google’s advances in computer vision, a form of artificial intelligence focused on identifying objects, according to Cyril Ebersweiler, founder of the hardware business incubator HAX. “The next thing after sound will be computer vision, and they can't allow (themselves) not to be doing something," Ebersweiler said. THE NEW CANDID CAMERA Google Clips, a pocket-sized digital camera is pictured in San Francisco, California, on February 26, 2018. (Reuters) × Google says Clips, which was announced in October, is the outgrowth of years of research into what people like about their favourite images. Consumers overwhelmingly preferred candid shots as opposed to ubiquitous selfies and other posed photos. But casual photographers often cannot whip out their phones in time to catch the action. And many subjects become self-conscious when they know a camera is pointed their way. "There is gold in between the photos you take" with smartphones, Juston Payne, product lead for Google Clips, told reporters this month. "This camera gets at those moments." Payne said his team had no mandate to develop a stand-alone camera. They could have packed more software into smartphone cameras, for instance. But he said a dedicated device that could fade into the background proved to be the best solution for naturalistic photography. Measuring 2 inches by 2 inches and weighing two ounces, Clips can be hung from a drawer handle or a tree branch at the playground. Payne said the gadget is not meant to be worn. The camera captures the best shots when subjects are about three feet away and in its frame. It operates three hours on a charge. Clips is being sold at Best Buy and Verizon retail outlets as well as Google's online store. Google says it attempted to address privacy concerns by placing white lights on Clips to alert subjects when the camera is filming. It also intentionally avoided giving the camera a direct connection to the cloud. The device's lack of sound may disappoint consumers, but Payne said audio would have encouraged people to film themselves while skydiving or skiing, pursuits the gadget's auto-capture technology is not yet capable of handling. Michael Kim, a product design consultant at Kim Advisory Capital, said Clips could be convenient as an "ambient photographer." But he questioned whether such a pricey "novelty toy" could win a large following.

Google's Clips camera is latest effort to bring AI into home gadgets

By&nbsp;Jon Roozenbeek* and Sander van der Linden**

The term &ldquo;fake news&rdquo; is everywhere these days. After gaining steam during the 2016 US election, it&rsquo;s become a catch-all phrase used by people from across the political spectrum. Yet &ldquo;fake&rdquo; stories &ndash; or stories that have been entirely made up &ndash; have been around since the dawn of man. And on top of that, stories don&rsquo;t have to be completely fake to be misleading. Terms such as &ldquo;propaganda&rdquo;, &ldquo;disinformation&rdquo;, &ldquo;misinformation&rdquo; and &ldquo;post-truth&rdquo; are used by many people, as though they mean the same thing.

In practice, most people are concerned about &ldquo;disinformation&rdquo;: that is, misinformation coupled with the intent to deceive. Today, it&rsquo;s easier than ever to mislead people. In the online world, posing as a credible news producer requires a bit of money and dedication &ndash; but it&rsquo;s not hard.

Meanwhile, people&rsquo;s trust in the media is declining, and a majority of Americans say that fake news has left them confused about basic facts. Add to that the growing problem of computational propaganda &ndash; where Twitter bots or other social media tools amplify certain hashtags or messages to influence what&rsquo;s trending &ndash; and the current landscape becomes very difficult for people to navigate.

Fighting back

There are many ways companies and governments are trying to combat this growing threat. Google and Facebook are tweaking their algorithms to stop promoting &ldquo;fake news&rdquo;. France is in the process of passing a controversial &ldquo;fake news law&rdquo;, which limits media activity during election time. And the UK government has announced it&rsquo;s setting up an &ldquo;anti-fake news&rdquo; unit. Yet each of these efforts comes with its own problems.

From our perspective, as researchers studying the fake news phenomenon, we think the best way to fight the bad effects is at the individual level. So, we&rsquo;re experimenting by combining psychology with technology in a new area of research, which some scholars are calling &ldquo;technocognition&rdquo;.

So far, one of us found that it&rsquo;s possible to &ldquo;inoculate&rdquo; people against misinformation by warning and exposing them to a weakened version of the &ldquo;real&rdquo; misleading argument, and then revealing to them why it&rsquo;s misleading. In other words, a small dose of fake news can inoculate you against it &ndash; just like a real vaccination would protect you against a disease.

Tricks of the trade

There are many reasons why people produce disinformation: they can be financial, political, personal and even &ldquo;just for fun&rdquo;. But the techniques that are being used to mislead people are remarkably similar across the board.

One of the simplest is impersonation: imitating a public figure or organisation with the intent of misleading the public. They might also create &ldquo;emotional content&rdquo;, which deliberately plays on people&rsquo;s basic emotions &ndash; such as fear or anger &ndash; to get a response. Next, there&rsquo;s &ldquo;polarisation&rdquo; &ndash; when fake news merchants stir up existing political tensions, to drive people further apart.&nbsp;

Then there are conspiracies: misleading theories, which often hold a large organisation responsible for some kind of covert agenda &ndash; like saying NASA faked the moon landing to win the space race. Then, people whose credibility is under attack will often try to discredit their opponents by engaging in &ldquo;whataboutism&rdquo; or personal attacks. And lastly we have trolling, which involves disrupting discussions and provoking reactions from people, combining all of the techniques mentioned above.

Good news, bad news

When people use these techniques themselves, it really improves their ability to recognise them in other contexts. So, together with DROG (a Dutch organisation working against the spread of disinformation), we developed an online game called Bad News (click here to play it), where players use misleading tactics to build their own fake news empire.

The game is free to play in any browser and on any device and takes about 15 minutes to complete. You start as an anonymous Twitter user who goes professional by starting their own news site, and gradually becomes a fake news tycoon. On the way, you earn badges and learn how the techniques mentioned earlier can be used to suit your purposes.

We figured that once you know how the magic trick works, you won&rsquo;t be fooled by it again. So we put our ideas to the test by doing a pilot study in a high school in the Netherlands. Some classes were assigned to the treatment group and played our game. Others were assigned to the control group, and didn&rsquo;t play the game.

Although our study was only a starting point, the results so far have been positive: students who played the game thought the fake news articles they read afterwards were less reliable. We hope that our game will play a role in stopping the spread of misleading information: just as misinformation replicates, vaccines can spread, too. The more people that play the game, the further the vaccine spreads &ndash; until one day, we may achieve societal resistance against fake news.

*Jon Roozenbeek is a PhD Candidate in Slavonic Studies, University of Cambridge

**Sander van der Linden is the Director of Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab, University of Cambridge

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Researchers have developed a game to 'vaccinate' people against fake news – by showing them how to become a fake news mogul.

By Jon Roozenbeek* and Sander van der Linden** The term “fake news” is everywhere these days. After gaining steam during the 2016 US election, it’s become a catch-all phrase used by people from across the political spectrum. Yet “fake” stories – or stories that have been entirely made up – have been around since the dawn of man. And on top of that, stories don’t have to be completely fake to be misleading. Terms such as “propaganda”, “disinformation”, “misinformation” and “post-truth” are used by many people, as though they mean the same thing. In practice, most people are concerned about “disinformation”: that is, misinformation coupled with the intent to deceive. Today, it’s easier than ever to mislead people. In the online world, posing as a credible news producer requires a bit of money and dedication – but it’s not hard. Meanwhile, people’s trust in the media is declining, and a majority of Americans say that fake news has left them confused about basic facts. Add to that the growing problem of computational propaganda – where Twitter bots or other social media tools amplify certain hashtags or messages to influence what’s trending – and the current landscape becomes very difficult for people to navigate. Fighting back There are many ways companies and governments are trying to combat this growing threat. Google and Facebook are tweaking their algorithms to stop promoting “fake news”. France is in the process of passing a controversial “fake news law”, which limits media activity during election time. And the UK government has announced it’s setting up an “anti-fake news” unit. Yet each of these efforts comes with its own problems. From our perspective, as researchers studying the fake news phenomenon, we think the best way to fight the bad effects is at the individual level. So, we’re experimenting by combining psychology with technology in a new area of research, which some scholars are calling “technocognition”. So far, one of us found that it’s possible to “inoculate” people against misinformation by warning and exposing them to a weakened version of the “real” misleading argument, and then revealing to them why it’s misleading. In other words, a small dose of fake news can inoculate you against it – just like a real vaccination would protect you against a disease. Tricks of the trade There are many reasons why people produce disinformation: they can be financial, political, personal and even “just for fun”. But the techniques that are being used to mislead people are remarkably similar across the board. One of the simplest is impersonation: imitating a public figure or organisation with the intent of misleading the public. They might also create “emotional content”, which deliberately plays on people’s basic emotions – such as fear or anger – to get a response. Next, there’s “polarisation” – when fake news merchants stir up existing political tensions, to drive people further apart. Then there are conspiracies: misleading theories, which often hold a large organisation responsible for some kind of covert agenda – like saying NASA faked the moon landing to win the space race. Then, people whose credibility is under attack will often try to discredit their opponents by engaging in “whataboutism” or personal attacks. And lastly we have trolling, which involves disrupting discussions and provoking reactions from people, combining all of the techniques mentioned above. Good news, bad news When people use these techniques themselves, it really improves their ability to recognise them in other contexts. So, together with DROG (a Dutch organisation working against the spread of disinformation), we developed an online game called Bad News (click here to play it), where players use misleading tactics to build their own fake news empire. The game is free to play in any browser and on any device and takes about 15 minutes to complete. You start as an anonymous Twitter user who goes professional by starting their own news site, and gradually becomes a fake news tycoon. On the way, you earn badges and learn how the techniques mentioned earlier can be used to suit your purposes. We figured that once you know how the magic trick works, you won’t be fooled by it again. So we put our ideas to the test by doing a pilot study in a high school in the Netherlands. Some classes were assigned to the treatment group and played our game. Others were assigned to the control group, and didn’t play the game. Although our study was only a starting point, the results so far have been positive: students who played the game thought the fake news articles they read afterwards were less reliable. We hope that our game will play a role in stopping the spread of misleading information: just as misinformation replicates, vaccines can spread, too. The more people that play the game, the further the vaccine spreads – until one day, we may achieve societal resistance against fake news. *Jon Roozenbeek is a PhD Candidate in Slavonic Studies, University of Cambridge **Sander van der Linden is the Director of Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab, University of Cambridge (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Here is a game to protect you from fake news

Viral sensation <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-meet-priya-prakash-varrier-internets-latest-crush-32591">Priya Prakash Varrier </a>has taken down Sunny Leone to become Google&#39;s most searched actress.

She became an <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/priya-prakash-varrier-on-being-the-internets-latest-crush-the-fame-is-too-much-for-me-to-handle-32767">overnight internet sensation</a> after the teaser song from her debut film &#39;Oru Adaar Love&#39; went viral on social media platforms.&nbsp;

With an unplanned eyebrow dance and wink in the song, titled Manikya Malaraya Poovi, she won everyone&#39;s attention and became the talk of the town.&nbsp;

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&nbsp;

The song got millions of views in a short span while Priya became the first Indian celebrity to have registered 6,10,000 followers on Instagram on her very first day on the platform and now the most searched person on celebrity on Google.&nbsp;

Also see:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/priya-varrier-says-she-wants-to-work-with-srk-ranveer-singh-8347">&nbsp;Priya </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/priya-varrier-says-she-wants-to-work-with-srk-ranveer-singh-8347">Varrier</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/priya-varrier-says-she-wants-to-work-with-srk-ranveer-singh-8347">&nbsp;says she wants to work with SRK, Ranveer Singh</a>

The 18-year-old actress stated that she now had a verified Instagram profile and that people won&#39;t anymore be confused with the multiple accounts that have had sprang up ever since her clip went viral.&nbsp;

Hailing from Thrissur in Kerala, Priya is a first-year B.Com student studying at&nbsp;Vimala College. Having dabbled in modeling for a while, Priya is all set to make her debut in films with Omar Lulu&#39;s film.

She became an overnight internet sensation after the teaser song from her debut film 'Oru Adaar Love' went viral on social media platforms

Viral sensation Priya Prakash Varrier has taken down Sunny Leone to become Google's most searched actress. She became an overnight internet sensation after the teaser song from her debut film 'Oru Adaar Love' went viral on social media platforms. With an unplanned eyebrow dance and wink in the song, titled Manikya Malaraya Poovi, she won everyone's attention and became the talk of the town. × The song got millions of views in a short span while Priya became the first Indian celebrity to have registered 6,10,000 followers on Instagram on her very first day on the platform and now the most searched person on celebrity on Google. Also see: Priya Varrier says she wants to work with SRK, Ranveer Singh The 18-year-old actress stated that she now had a verified Instagram profile and that people won't anymore be confused with the multiple accounts that have had sprang up ever since her clip went viral. Hailing from Thrissur in Kerala, Priya is a first-year B.Com student studying at Vimala College. Having dabbled in modeling for a while, Priya is all set to make her debut in films with Omar Lulu's film.

Priya Prakash Varrier becomes most searched celebrity on Google

Alphabet Inc&rsquo;s Google on Tuesday announced its plans to test a new software programming system. The software will enable emails to continuously update information and facilitate greater interactivity.

For an instance, the update will enable Gmail users to see automatically updated flight information in a booking confirmation email itself.

Users can also &quot;fill out surveys without leaving a message or review close-up shots of products in a marketing pitch without opening a browser window,&quot; notes a Reuters report.

The new development comes as an extension of Google&rsquo;s AMP (accelerated mobile pages) project.&nbsp;

(With inputs from Reuters)&nbsp;

The new development comes as an extension of Google’s AMP (accelerated mobile pages) project

Alphabet Inc’s Google on Tuesday announced its plans to test a new software programming system. The software will enable emails to continuously update information and facilitate greater interactivity. For an instance, the update will enable Gmail users to see automatically updated flight information in a booking confirmation email itself. Users can also "fill out surveys without leaving a message or review close-up shots of products in a marketing pitch without opening a browser window," notes a Reuters report. The new development comes as an extension of Google’s AMP (accelerated mobile pages) project. (With inputs from Reuters)

Soon, Google mail that updates automatically

Today is the sixth <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/google-doodle-second-day-doodle-features-another-lucky-symbol-of-korea-32383">Olympic Doodle </a>by Google of their 17 doodle series, but today&#39;s doodle was little special as it was with&nbsp;Valentine&#39;s twist.

The doodle shows two grebes ice-skating together and making the shape of a heart at the ice skating ring.

The official statement of Google reads, &quot;It looks like these great Grebes grab glory today! Birds of a feather skate together, and these graceful Grebes have shown that two can be even better than one.&quot;

Google is showcasing one 17 google doodle for each day till the winter Olympics last.

These doodles are running from February 9 to February 25.

 
&nbsp;

The doodle shows two grebes ice-skating together and making the shape of a heart at the ice skating ring

Today is the sixth Olympic Doodle by Google of their 17 doodle series, but today's doodle was little special as it was with Valentine's twist. The doodle shows two grebes ice-skating together and making the shape of a heart at the ice skating ring. The official statement of Google reads, "It looks like these great Grebes grab glory today! Birds of a feather skate together, and these graceful Grebes have shown that two can be even better than one." Google is showcasing one 17 google doodle for each day till the winter Olympics last. These doodles are running from February 9 to February 25.

Olympic Google Doodle also marks Valentine's day

Created by former employees of PayPal and now owned by Google - the&nbsp;current video sharing giant &#39;YouTube&#39; was activated on Monday, February 14 in 2005.

YouTube was founded by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim while they were working for online payment company PayPal.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/a-roller-coaster-ride-of-youtube-in-2017-621">YouTube&#39;s roller-coaster ride in 2017</a>

YouTube&#39;s initial headquarter was above Pizzeria and Japanese restaurant in San Mateo in California.

However, the domain was activated on February 14th, 2005 but the video upload feature was integrated on April 23 in the same year.

Angel-funded enterprise YouTube was one of the fastest growing sites on the world wide web in just one year of its beginning.

In November 2005, venture capital firm Sequoia Capital invested in the site with 3.5 million dollars and Roelof Botha partner in the same firm and former CFO of PayPal joined the YouTube board of directors.

In June of 2006, YouTube entered into a marketing and advertising partnership with NBC and in November Google announced that it would be purchased by Google for $1.65 in stock.

In the same glorious year of YouTube, it was featured as &#39;person of the year&#39; in Times magazine&#39;s&nbsp; annual issue.

&nbsp;

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YouTube was featured Times magazine&#39;s &#39;person of the year&#39; annual issue. (Image courtesy: Times archive) (Others)
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It was also listed at ninth best products of 2006 by global computer magazine PC world.

YouTube currently has about 1 billion users and over 30 million people visit in a day.

YouTube was founded by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim while they were working for online payment company PayPal

Created by former employees of PayPal and now owned by Google - the current video sharing giant 'YouTube' was activated on Monday, February 14 in 2005. YouTube was founded by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim while they were working for online payment company PayPal. Also read: YouTube's roller-coaster ride in 2017 YouTube's initial headquarter was above Pizzeria and Japanese restaurant in San Mateo in California. However, the domain was activated on February 14th, 2005 but the video upload feature was integrated on April 23 in the same year. Angel-funded enterprise YouTube was one of the fastest growing sites on the world wide web in just one year of its beginning. In November 2005, venture capital firm Sequoia Capital invested in the site with 3.5 million dollars and Roelof Botha partner in the same firm and former CFO of PayPal joined the YouTube board of directors. In June of 2006, YouTube entered into a marketing and advertising partnership with NBC and in November Google announced that it would be purchased by Google for $1.65 in stock. In the same glorious year of YouTube, it was featured as 'person of the year' in Times magazine's annual issue. YouTube was featured Times magazine's 'person of the year' annual issue. (Image courtesy: Times archive) (Others) × It was also listed at ninth best products of 2006 by global computer magazine PC world. YouTube currently has about 1 billion users and over 30 million people visit in a day.

Watch: Did you know YouTube was activated on Valentine's Day?

Amid efforts by the Facebook&nbsp;to fight misinformation on its platform, media mogul Rupert Murdoch recently called on the social media giant to pay &quot;trusted&quot; news publishers a carriage fee, similar to the model used by cable companies,&nbsp;

&quot;Facebook and Google have popularized scurrilous news sources through algorithms that are profitable for these platforms but inherently unreliable,&quot; Murdoch, who controls the Wall Street Journal as executive chairman of News Corp, said in a statement.

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Friday his company would fight misinformation and sensationalism on its platform by using member surveys to identify &quot;trustworthy&quot; outlets.

&quot;There has been much discussion about subscription models but I have yet to see a proposal that truly recognises the investment in and the social value of professional journalism,&quot; Murdoch said.

The quality of news on Facebook has been called into question after alleged Russian operatives and spammers spread false reports on the site, including during the 2016 US&nbsp;election campaign.

Facebook and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Friday his company would fight misinformation and sensationalism on its platform by using member surveys to identify "trustworthy" outlets.

Amid efforts by the Facebook to fight misinformation on its platform, media mogul Rupert Murdoch recently called on the social media giant to pay "trusted" news publishers a carriage fee, similar to the model used by cable companies, "Facebook and Google have popularized scurrilous news sources through algorithms that are profitable for these platforms but inherently unreliable," Murdoch, who controls the Wall Street Journal as executive chairman of News Corp, said in a statement. Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Friday his company would fight misinformation and sensationalism on its platform by using member surveys to identify "trustworthy" outlets. "There has been much discussion about subscription models but I have yet to see a proposal that truly recognises the investment in and the social value of professional journalism," Murdoch said. The quality of news on Facebook has been called into question after alleged Russian operatives and spammers spread false reports on the site, including during the 2016 US election campaign. Facebook and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Facebook should pay 'trusted' news publishers carriage fee: Murdoch

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere now. From phones, Tv&#39;s to retail, e-commerce and even toilets!&nbsp; We are now in an era where anything that uses an algorithm can be called AI.&nbsp;

Facts say that with the upcoming use of AI, millions of people will be out of jobs in few years.&nbsp;

Web Summit, the massive technology conference in Lisbon, Portugal, polled 224 investors in one of the sub-conferences within the Web Summit framework where 93% of them said that AI will &#39;destroy&#39; jobs. Tesla CEO Elton Musk claimed that the race to development of AI will lead to World War III, founder of venture capital firm &#39;Sinovation&#39;, Kai-Fu Lee has said that AI will replace 50% off all jobs in the next decade.&nbsp;

A survey conducted by Quartz - with 1,600 respondents from 84 countries, mostly in the US&nbsp; - stated that 90% respondents thought&nbsp;that up to half of the jobs would be lost to automation within five years.&nbsp;

However, AI may only be able to do about 50 to 60 per cent of the work, one will need humans to fill up the 50-40 per cent. Only using AI algorithms won&#39;t work. That&#39;s when skilled humans come into play. Its all about balance!&nbsp;

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Jobs related to AI will increase up to 2 million by 2025 (Others)
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Therefore, the myth that AI will lead to more job losses can be soundly debunked - that&#39;s what history tells us.&nbsp;

The Industrial revolution spanned a technological revolution in the 19th century. It sparked major changes in virtually every sphere of human existence in Britain where it began. The British economy boomed as a result with new innovations in textile with the mechanised spinning, the advent of steam power to power engines and several other breakthrough designs.

The people adapted too, it did not mean employment fell, in fact, more and more people were added to the workforce as a result of &quot;mechanisation&quot;.&nbsp; It meant upgradation of skills which helped the British economy to expand and seize new markets in Asia and Africa.

The advent of computers in the workplace is another example of &quot;humans adapting to machines&quot;.&nbsp;

During the 60s and 70s in the US, computers increasingly began to enter offices which allowed small business to compete with large corporations. The rise of Apple in the 70s and Microsoft in the 80s can be attributed to the introduction of PCs in that era, despite this today after over 40 years since Apple it has employed more and more people into its company and spawned a culture of start-ups.

In the 80s and 90s, PCs aka &quot;machines&quot; helped &quot;humans&quot; to do away several tedious jobs and eliminated manual labour helping small companies not only to become more efficient but also helped the workforce to become sharper. Today in the era of startups and apps, technology has helped to take humans into a new frontier which promises a new era of growth and prosperity.

In contrary to remarks that robots will replace human workers, research firms predicts that AI may actually create more jobs than expected.&nbsp;

By 2020, AI will generate about 2.3 million jobs - exceeding the 1.8 million that will be ticked off. Moreover, jobs related to AI will increase up to 2 million by 2025.&nbsp;

Humans throughout history have adapted and &quot;re-skilled&quot; themselves as new technologies have entered the cycle, despite rumblings and disruptions it has only meant the &quot;comfort level&quot; has increased for us humans. Artificial Intelligence, in this respect, should not be &quot;feared&quot; rather it should be &quot;adapted&quot;.

For instance, as chatbots, robots, automated kiosks come into existence - more people imagine that it will capture jobs, but all this technology is only creating a better user interface. Look at automated kiosks for instance. Now, Mcdonald&#39;s in New York welcomes customers with a &ldquo;Create Your Taste&rdquo; kiosk - an automated touch-screen system that allows customers to create their own burgers without interacting with another human being. Does this mean cashiers and waiters will go out of jobs? NO. This is just innovation in technology which will, in turn, lead to a shift in skill - not jobs.&nbsp;

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Mcdonalds&#39; &ldquo;Create Your Taste&rdquo; kiosk (Others)
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Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple have invested millions in this field (smartbots, chatbots, AI algorithms etc) - why? because this will eventually generate better customer interaction, seamless user journeys, reduce search time, create quick and efficient responses. AI&#39;s role as a mediator between humans and technology has become the greatest triumph.&nbsp;

The jobs will be affected - yes - but that does not infer that jobs will be &quot;destroyed&quot;. The number of jobs that will be affected will vary for different industries, with public sector, education, healthcare booming. AI will &quot;replace&quot; jobs of low-skilled workers in IT sectors in India alone with more medium and high skilled jobs - which are expected to rise to about 1 million in the next five years.&nbsp;

Let&#39;s take driverless cars, for example, though driver won&rsquo;t be entirely displaced by self-driving cars, the nature of their work will fundamentally change. While the percentage of human drivers giving trips may go down, the absolute number of humans may actually go up. The rise of autonomous cars will open new jobs like maintaining the car fleets, jobs that don&#39;t exist today because there has never been a need. Part of advancing technology has always meant that some professions become extinct in the process.&nbsp;

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The rise of autonomous cars will open new jobs (Others)
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The fact is humans need to power the machines, it is a fantasy built by bloggers and science fiction enthusiasts who have, increasingly, through social media played the game of calling AI a barrier for mankind, but history teaches us that man has always &quot;upgraded&quot; himself since time in memorial.

So, once again, AI will eliminate a number of middle and low levels positions but it will give rise to more highly-skilled management and also entry-level and low-skilled jobs, it will accelerate innovation to a new level and fundamentally change the way businesses will run across the board. Focus should be more on augmenting people with AI, transforming culture to make it adaptable to AI-related job opportunities and threats.&nbsp;

AI may only be able to do about 50 to 60 per cent of the work, one will need humans to fill up at 50-40 per cent. Only using AI algorithms won't work. That's when skilled humans come into play. Its all about balance!

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere now. From phones, Tv's to retail, e-commerce and even toilets! We are now in an era where anything that uses an algorithm can be called AI. Facts say that with the upcoming use of AI, millions of people will be out of jobs in few years. Web Summit, the massive technology conference in Lisbon, Portugal, polled 224 investors in one of the sub-conferences within the Web Summit framework where 93% of them said that AI will 'destroy' jobs. Tesla CEO Elton Musk claimed that the race to development of AI will lead to World War III, founder of venture capital firm 'Sinovation', Kai-Fu Lee has said that AI will replace 50% off all jobs in the next decade. A survey conducted by Quartz - with 1,600 respondents from 84 countries, mostly in the US - stated that 90% respondents thought that up to half of the jobs would be lost to automation within five years. However, AI may only be able to do about 50 to 60 per cent of the work, one will need humans to fill up the 50-40 per cent. Only using AI algorithms won't work. That's when skilled humans come into play. Its all about balance! Jobs related to AI will increase up to 2 million by 2025 (Others) × Therefore, the myth that AI will lead to more job losses can be soundly debunked - that's what history tells us. The Industrial revolution spanned a technological revolution in the 19th century. It sparked major changes in virtually every sphere of human existence in Britain where it began. The British economy boomed as a result with new innovations in textile with the mechanised spinning, the advent of steam power to power engines and several other breakthrough designs. The people adapted too, it did not mean employment fell, in fact, more and more people were added to the workforce as a result of "mechanisation". It meant upgradation of skills which helped the British economy to expand and seize new markets in Asia and Africa. The advent of computers in the workplace is another example of "humans adapting to machines". During the 60s and 70s in the US, computers increasingly began to enter offices which allowed small business to compete with large corporations. The rise of Apple in the 70s and Microsoft in the 80s can be attributed to the introduction of PCs in that era, despite this today after over 40 years since Apple it has employed more and more people into its company and spawned a culture of start-ups. In the 80s and 90s, PCs aka "machines" helped "humans" to do away several tedious jobs and eliminated manual labour helping small companies not only to become more efficient but also helped the workforce to become sharper. Today in the era of startups and apps, technology has helped to take humans into a new frontier which promises a new era of growth and prosperity. In contrary to remarks that robots will replace human workers, research firms predicts that AI may actually create more jobs than expected. By 2020, AI will generate about 2.3 million jobs - exceeding the 1.8 million that will be ticked off. Moreover, jobs related to AI will increase up to 2 million by 2025. Humans throughout history have adapted and "re-skilled" themselves as new technologies have entered the cycle, despite rumblings and disruptions it has only meant the "comfort level" has increased for us humans. Artificial Intelligence, in this respect, should not be "feared" rather it should be "adapted". For instance, as chatbots, robots, automated kiosks come into existence - more people imagine that it will capture jobs, but all this technology is only creating a better user interface. Look at automated kiosks for instance. Now, Mcdonald's in New York welcomes customers with a “Create Your Taste” kiosk - an automated touch-screen system that allows customers to create their own burgers without interacting with another human being. Does this mean cashiers and waiters will go out of jobs? NO. This is just innovation in technology which will, in turn, lead to a shift in skill - not jobs. Mcdonalds' “Create Your Taste” kiosk (Others) × Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple have invested millions in this field (smartbots, chatbots, AI algorithms etc) - why? because this will eventually generate better customer interaction, seamless user journeys, reduce search time, create quick and efficient responses. AI's role as a mediator between humans and technology has become the greatest triumph. The jobs will be affected - yes - but that does not infer that jobs will be "destroyed". The number of jobs that will be affected will vary for different industries, with public sector, education, healthcare booming. AI will "replace" jobs of low-skilled workers in IT sectors in India alone with more medium and high skilled jobs - which are expected to rise to about 1 million in the next five years. Let's take driverless cars, for example, though driver won’t be entirely displaced by self-driving cars, the nature of their work will fundamentally change. While the percentage of human drivers giving trips may go down, the absolute number of humans may actually go up. The rise of autonomous cars will open new jobs like maintaining the car fleets, jobs that don't exist today because there has never been a need. Part of advancing technology has always meant that some professions become extinct in the process. The rise of autonomous cars will open new jobs (Others) × The fact is humans need to power the machines, it is a fantasy built by bloggers and science fiction enthusiasts who have, increasingly, through social media played the game of calling AI a barrier for mankind, but history teaches us that man has always "upgraded" himself since time in memorial. So, once again, AI will eliminate a number of middle and low levels positions but it will give rise to more highly-skilled management and also entry-level and low-skilled jobs, it will accelerate innovation to a new level and fundamentally change the way businesses will run across the board. Focus should be more on augmenting people with AI, transforming culture to make it adaptable to AI-related job opportunities and threats.

Don't believe the naysayers, Artificial Intelligence will create 2.3 million jobs by 2020

According to media reports, Google is the first tech-giant to have spent a huge sum of money for corporate lobbying efforts in the United States in two decades.&nbsp;

While Jeff Bezos-led Amazon spent over&nbsp;$12.8 million over lobbying US politicians the past year, rival Google invested a whopping $18 million.&nbsp;

The two companies were followed by Mark Zuckerberg&#39;s Facebook ($11.5), Bill Gates&#39; Microsoft ($8.5 million) and Tim Cook-led Apple ($7 million).

Reportedly, the companies used the money to press the US lawmakers on issues like advertising regulations, free trade, cybersecurity and immigration.&nbsp;

Facebook is reported to have upped its spending on lobbying activities by around $3 million.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

Facebook is reported to have upped its spending on lobbying activities by around $3 million

According to media reports, Google is the first tech-giant to have spent a huge sum of money for corporate lobbying efforts in the United States in two decades. While Jeff Bezos-led Amazon spent over $12.8 million over lobbying US politicians the past year, rival Google invested a whopping $18 million. The two companies were followed by Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook ($11.5), Bill Gates' Microsoft ($8.5 million) and Tim Cook-led Apple ($7 million). Reportedly, the companies used the money to press the US lawmakers on issues like advertising regulations, free trade, cybersecurity and immigration. Facebook is reported to have upped its spending on lobbying activities by around $3 million.

US: Google becomes the biggest tech spender on lobbying politicians

Billionaire investor George Soros launched a scathing attack on tech giants at the Davos summit on Thursday, calling them monopolies that could be manipulated by authoritarians to subvert democracy.

During an annual dinner he hosts at the World Economic Forum, held this week in the Swiss alpine resort, Soros turned his sights on a host of subjects including US President Donald Trump and the speculation frenzy surrounding the bitcoin cryptocurrency.

But much of the Hungarian-born financier&#39;s ire was reserved for the tech giants of Silicon Valley who, he argued, needed to be more strictly regulated.&nbsp;

&quot;Facebook and Google effectively control over half of all internet advertising revenue,&quot; the 87-year-old told diners during a speech.&nbsp;

&quot;They claim that they are merely distributors of information. The fact that they are near-monopoly distributors makes them public utilities and should subject them to more stringent regulations, aimed at preserving competition, innovation, and fair and open universal access.&quot;

He predicted that tech giants would &quot;compromise themselves&quot; to access key markets like China, creating an &quot;alliance between authoritarian states and these large, data rich IT monopolies.&quot;

&quot;This may well result in a web of totalitarian control the likes of which not even Aldous Huxley or George Orwell could have imagined,&quot; he warned.

Predicting governments would start to more heavily regulate the sector he said: &quot;Davos is a good place to announce that their days are numbered.&quot;

Known for his legendarily successful currency trading, Soros dismissed bitcoin as a &quot;typical bubble&quot;.&nbsp;

But he said the cryptocurrency would likely avoid a full crash because authoritarians would still use it to make secret investments abroad.

He described Russia&#39;s Vladimir Putin as presiding over a &quot;mafia state&quot; and called Trump a &quot;danger to the world&quot;.

But he predicted that the US president&#39;s appeal would not last.&nbsp;

&quot;I regard it as a purely temporary phenomenon that will disappear in 2020 or even sooner.&quot;

But the investor&#39;s traditional Davos predictions do not always pan out. Last year in Switzerland he warned that the stock market rally would end after Trump&#39;s election and that China&#39;s growth rate was unsustainable.

China&#39;s growth has continued while US stocks are regularly hitting record highs.

"Facebook and Google effectively control over half of all internet advertising revenue," the 87-year-old told diners during a speech.

Billionaire investor George Soros launched a scathing attack on tech giants at the Davos summit on Thursday, calling them monopolies that could be manipulated by authoritarians to subvert democracy. During an annual dinner he hosts at the World Economic Forum, held this week in the Swiss alpine resort, Soros turned his sights on a host of subjects including US President Donald Trump and the speculation frenzy surrounding the bitcoin cryptocurrency. But much of the Hungarian-born financier's ire was reserved for the tech giants of Silicon Valley who, he argued, needed to be more strictly regulated. "Facebook and Google effectively control over half of all internet advertising revenue," the 87-year-old told diners during a speech. "They claim that they are merely distributors of information. The fact that they are near-monopoly distributors makes them public utilities and should subject them to more stringent regulations, aimed at preserving competition, innovation, and fair and open universal access." He predicted that tech giants would "compromise themselves" to access key markets like China, creating an "alliance between authoritarian states and these large, data rich IT monopolies." "This may well result in a web of totalitarian control the likes of which not even Aldous Huxley or George Orwell could have imagined," he warned. Predicting governments would start to more heavily regulate the sector he said: "Davos is a good place to announce that their days are numbered." Known for his legendarily successful currency trading, Soros dismissed bitcoin as a "typical bubble". But he said the cryptocurrency would likely avoid a full crash because authoritarians would still use it to make secret investments abroad. He described Russia's Vladimir Putin as presiding over a "mafia state" and called Trump a "danger to the world". But he predicted that the US president's appeal would not last. "I regard it as a purely temporary phenomenon that will disappear in 2020 or even sooner." But the investor's traditional Davos predictions do not always pan out. Last year in Switzerland he warned that the stock market rally would end after Trump's election and that China's growth rate was unsustainable. China's growth has continued while US stocks are regularly hitting record highs.

George Soros to Google and Facebook: Your days are numbered

Facebook Inc is buying a software firm that specializes in authenticating government-issued identification cards, the two companies said on Tuesday, a step that may help the social media giant learn more about the people who buy ads on its network.

US&nbsp;lawmakers have expressed alarm at Facebook&#39;s limited ability to know who is buying advertisements, including election-related ads, on the world&#39;s largest social network.&nbsp;

Boston-based Confirm Inc, which is privately held, said on its website that the acquisition was the culmination of three years of work to build technology to keep people safe online.&nbsp;

Facebook said in a statement that Confirm`s &quot;technology and expertise will support our ongoing efforts to keep our community safe.&quot;

Terms of the deal and how Facebook would apply Confirm&#39;s software were not revealed.

Confirm will wind down its operations and its employees will join Facebook in Boston, a person familiar with the acquisition told Reuters.

Confirm&#39;s website listed 26 employees earlier this month, according to a version archived by the Google search engine. It says on its website that it has more than 750 clients.

Last year, Facebook said that suspected Russian agents had been paying to boost Facebook posts in the United States in an attempt to divide the electorate around the 2016 presidential election. Moscow denies the allegations.

The company later said that it would begin requiring organizations running election-related ads to confirm their identities.&nbsp;

Facebook has more than 6 million different advertisers, and buying ads has historically required little more than a Facebook page and a credit card.&nbsp;

Confirm says that its software allows for proof of identity for online transactions, allowing users to detect potentially fraudulent activity.

US lawmakers have expressed alarm at Facebook's limited ability to know who is buying advertisements, including election-related ads, on the world's largest social network

Facebook Inc is buying a software firm that specializes in authenticating government-issued identification cards, the two companies said on Tuesday, a step that may help the social media giant learn more about the people who buy ads on its network. US lawmakers have expressed alarm at Facebook's limited ability to know who is buying advertisements, including election-related ads, on the world's largest social network. Boston-based Confirm Inc, which is privately held, said on its website that the acquisition was the culmination of three years of work to build technology to keep people safe online. Facebook said in a statement that Confirm`s "technology and expertise will support our ongoing efforts to keep our community safe." Terms of the deal and how Facebook would apply Confirm's software were not revealed. Confirm will wind down its operations and its employees will join Facebook in Boston, a person familiar with the acquisition told Reuters. Confirm's website listed 26 employees earlier this month, according to a version archived by the Google search engine. It says on its website that it has more than 750 clients. Last year, Facebook said that suspected Russian agents had been paying to boost Facebook posts in the United States in an attempt to divide the electorate around the 2016 presidential election. Moscow denies the allegations. The company later said that it would begin requiring organizations running election-related ads to confirm their identities. Facebook has more than 6 million different advertisers, and buying ads has historically required little more than a Facebook page and a credit card. Confirm says that its software allows for proof of identity for online transactions, allowing users to detect potentially fraudulent activity.

Facebook buys Boston software company that authenticates IDs

Google celebrates winter games as the opening ceremony has started.

Winter Olympics is already underway,&nbsp;PyeongChang 2018 will host the XXIII Olympic Winter Games. It is a major international multi-sport event which is scheduled to take place from February 9 to 25.

The 23rd Winter Olympics will feature 102 events in 15 sports and athletes from all over the world.

The organisers of the upcoming Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic games had already warned spectators that they will face sub-zero temperatures during the tournament.

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Google celebrates the 23rd Winter Olympics. (Others)
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This year&#39;s Winter Olympic games may set a new record for being the coldest since the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.

The opening and closing ceremonies will be held at the roofless Olympic Stadium, a pentagonal arena that can accommodate around 40,000 people.

Freezing weather at the Winter Olympics may force some athletes and staff to pull out of Friday&#39;s opening ceremony as Pyeongchang shivers in temperatures plunging to minus 20 degrees Celsius.

&nbsp;

The 23rd Winter Olympics will feature 102 events in 15 sports and athletes from all over the world

Google celebrates winter games as the opening ceremony has started. Winter Olympics is already underway, PyeongChang 2018 will host the XXIII Olympic Winter Games. It is a major international multi-sport event which is scheduled to take place from February 9 to 25. The 23rd Winter Olympics will feature 102 events in 15 sports and athletes from all over the world. The organisers of the upcoming Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic games had already warned spectators that they will face sub-zero temperatures during the tournament. Google celebrates the 23rd Winter Olympics. (Others) × This year's Winter Olympic games may set a new record for being the coldest since the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. The opening and closing ceremonies will be held at the roofless Olympic Stadium, a pentagonal arena that can accommodate around 40,000 people. Freezing weather at the Winter Olympics may force some athletes and staff to pull out of Friday's opening ceremony as Pyeongchang shivers in temperatures plunging to minus 20 degrees Celsius.

Google celebrates 23rd Winter Olympics

Google has been fined Rs 136 crore for unfair business practices by the Competition Commission of India.&nbsp;

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Competition Commission of India imposed penalty of Rs 135.86 Cr upon Google after finding that it abused its dominant position in online general web search &amp; web search advertising services in India. Penalty imposed after taking into account its revenue from its India ops only.
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/961614485776752641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The commission said Google had abused its dominant position in online general web search and web search advertising services in India.&nbsp;

The order was passed in response to information filed by Matrimony.com Limited and Consumer Unity &amp; Trust Society (CUTS) in 2012.&nbsp;

The penalty on Google was imposed after taking into account its revenue from its India ops only.&nbsp;

Google was in 2017 fined a record &euro;2.4bn by the EU, again for similar wrongdoing.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The commission said Google had abused its dominant position in online general web search and web search advertising services in India

Google has been fined Rs 136 crore for unfair business practices by the Competition Commission of India. Competition Commission of India imposed penalty of Rs 135.86 Cr upon Google after finding that it abused its dominant position in online general web search & web search advertising services in India. Penalty imposed after taking into account its revenue from its India ops only. — ANI (@ANI) February 8, 2018 × The commission said Google had abused its dominant position in online general web search and web search advertising services in India. The order was passed in response to information filed by Matrimony.com Limited and Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) in 2012. The penalty on Google was imposed after taking into account its revenue from its India ops only. Google was in 2017 fined a record €2.4bn by the EU, again for similar wrongdoing.

Google fined Rs 136 crore for unfair business practices in India

Just a few years ago, Uber Technologies Inc saw itself as the little brother to Alphabet Inc, but that cosy bond quickly dissolved into a turf war and ultimately a high-stakes legal battle, a jury heard on Wednesday.

Former Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick described how his own relationship with Alphabet Chief Executive Larry Page deteriorated as their companies competed in ride-hailing and autonomous car development, producing a tense rivalry that eventually led to a lawsuit and trial in San Francisco federal court.

Alphabet&#39;s self-driving car unit Waymo sued Uber, a year ago saying that former Waymo engineer Anthony Levandowski downloaded more than 14,000 confidential documents in 2015 before leaving to found a self-driving startup that Uber snapped up in 2016.

Waymo has estimated damages in the case at about $1.9 billion, which Uber rejects. Levandowski is not a defendant in the case.

Kalanick&#39;s testimony on Tuesday and Wednesday is a crucial part of the trial, which promises to influence one of the most important and potentially lucrative races in Silicon Valley - to create fleets of self-driving cars.

Kalanick&#39;s testimony showed the personal nature of the lawsuit, which is as much about big personalities at wealthy technology companies as it is about the technology itself. Uber was once a prized investment Alphabet, whose venture capital arm made a $258 million bet on Uber in 2013.

In Uber&#39;s early days, its relationship with Google was &quot;like a little brother to a big brother,&quot; Kalanick said under questioning in court, and Page and Alphabet executive David Drummond were like mentors to the less-seasoned Kalanick.

After Uber heard Alphabet was dabbling in ride-hailing services, Uber&#39;s business, Uber moved into self-driving cars, a project Alphabet had been working on since 2009. Uber hired away 40 experts from Carnegie Mellon University to set up a self-driving car lab in Pennsylvania, a move that upset Page.

&quot;He sort of was a little angsty and said &#39;Why are you doing my thing?&#39; and was just upset,&quot; Kalanick testified.

Uber&#39;s acquisition of Levandowski&#39;s startup, Otto, only added to the animosity, and days after the deal was announced, Drummond resigned his seat on Uber&#39;s board of directors. Recalling Page&#39;s raw feelings that surfaced with the Carnegie hires, Kalanick feared a lawsuit was coming.

&#39;Second Place Is First Loser&#39;

Although famous for his hot-headed temperament, Kalanick kept his cool on Wednesday and offered short, subdued responses to Waymo&#39;s attorneys, whose questions focused on Kalanick&#39;s competitive nature.

Kalanick was ousted from Uber in June after a tumultuous period of scandals and investigations. The Otto acquisition and Uber&#39;s self-driving car development happened under Kalanick&#39;s direction.

Kalanick has said self-driving cars are existential to Uber and was rankled that Uber was trailing Waymo. In court, Waymo attorney Charles Verhoeven showed Kalanick a text message in which Levandowski told Kalanick: &quot;I just see this as a race and we need to win. Second place is the first loser.&quot;

When asked if he agreed with that sentiment, Kalanick said: &quot;Well, I first heard it from my high school football coach, but yes.&quot;

Waymo sought to portray Kalanick as so eager to improve Uber&#39;s autonomous car business that he quickly acquired Otto and hired Levandowski without properly assessing the risks. He was frustrated by the slow pace of Uber&#39;s self-driving program, which trailed Waymo, and thought Levandowski could turn it around, the 10-person jury heard on Tuesday.

Kalanick said Wednesday that he never read a due diligence report prepared by an outside firm that determined Levandowski did possess Google data.

But in a deposition last year, Benchmark venture capitalist Bill Gurley, an early Uber investor and former board member, said Kalanick told the board the diligence report was &quot;clean.&quot; Kalanick denied having said that. Gurley also said Kalanick &quot;crossed a line of violating fraud and fiduciary duty&quot; with the Otto acquisition.

As part of the Otto deal, Uber agreed to indemnify Levandowski against any legal action, Kalanick said. He conceded that the legal battle makes hiring Levandowski &quot;not as great as what we thought it was at the beginning.&quot;

&#39;X Factor&#39;

Uber was not the only company interested in Levandowski - rival Lyft Inc also made an offer to buy Levandowski&#39;s self-driving startup, Lior Ron, Otto co-founder and an Uber executive, testified on Wednesday. Levandowski turned down the offer.

Kalanick was shown in court an email from another executive, which said the &quot;X factor&quot; of acquiring Levandowski&#39;s company was the &quot;IP in their heads.&quot;

Kalanick said he did not remember the email but did not deny reading it. When questioned by Uber&#39;s lawyer, Kalanick said that &quot;to no extent at all&quot; did he hire Levandowski to get trade secrets and Levandowski never told him he would bring Waymo&#39;s secrets to Uber.

The trial is expected to continue through next week. The jury will have to decide whether the documents downloaded by Levandowski were indeed trade secrets and not common knowledge and whether Uber improperly acquired them, used them and benefited from them.

Uber was once a prized investment for Alphabet, whose venture capital arm made a $258 million bet on Uber in 2013

Just a few years ago, Uber Technologies Inc saw itself as the little brother to Alphabet Inc, but that cosy bond quickly dissolved into a turf war and ultimately a high-stakes legal battle, a jury heard on Wednesday. Former Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick described how his own relationship with Alphabet Chief Executive Larry Page deteriorated as their companies competed in ride-hailing and autonomous car development, producing a tense rivalry that eventually led to a lawsuit and trial in San Francisco federal court. Alphabet's self-driving car unit Waymo sued Uber, a year ago saying that former Waymo engineer Anthony Levandowski downloaded more than 14,000 confidential documents in 2015 before leaving to found a self-driving startup that Uber snapped up in 2016. Waymo has estimated damages in the case at about $1.9 billion, which Uber rejects. Levandowski is not a defendant in the case. Kalanick's testimony on Tuesday and Wednesday is a crucial part of the trial, which promises to influence one of the most important and potentially lucrative races in Silicon Valley - to create fleets of self-driving cars. Kalanick's testimony showed the personal nature of the lawsuit, which is as much about big personalities at wealthy technology companies as it is about the technology itself. Uber was once a prized investment Alphabet, whose venture capital arm made a $258 million bet on Uber in 2013. In Uber's early days, its relationship with Google was "like a little brother to a big brother," Kalanick said under questioning in court, and Page and Alphabet executive David Drummond were like mentors to the less-seasoned Kalanick. After Uber heard Alphabet was dabbling in ride-hailing services, Uber's business, Uber moved into self-driving cars, a project Alphabet had been working on since 2009. Uber hired away 40 experts from Carnegie Mellon University to set up a self-driving car lab in Pennsylvania, a move that upset Page. "He sort of was a little angsty and said 'Why are you doing my thing?' and was just upset," Kalanick testified. Uber's acquisition of Levandowski's startup, Otto, only added to the animosity, and days after the deal was announced, Drummond resigned his seat on Uber's board of directors. Recalling Page's raw feelings that surfaced with the Carnegie hires, Kalanick feared a lawsuit was coming. 'Second Place Is First Loser' Although famous for his hot-headed temperament, Kalanick kept his cool on Wednesday and offered short, subdued responses to Waymo's attorneys, whose questions focused on Kalanick's competitive nature. Kalanick was ousted from Uber in June after a tumultuous period of scandals and investigations. The Otto acquisition and Uber's self-driving car development happened under Kalanick's direction. Kalanick has said self-driving cars are existential to Uber and was rankled that Uber was trailing Waymo. In court, Waymo attorney Charles Verhoeven showed Kalanick a text message in which Levandowski told Kalanick: "I just see this as a race and we need to win. Second place is the first loser." When asked if he agreed with that sentiment, Kalanick said: "Well, I first heard it from my high school football coach, but yes." Waymo sought to portray Kalanick as so eager to improve Uber's autonomous car business that he quickly acquired Otto and hired Levandowski without properly assessing the risks. He was frustrated by the slow pace of Uber's self-driving program, which trailed Waymo, and thought Levandowski could turn it around, the 10-person jury heard on Tuesday. Kalanick said Wednesday that he never read a due diligence report prepared by an outside firm that determined Levandowski did possess Google data. But in a deposition last year, Benchmark venture capitalist Bill Gurley, an early Uber investor and former board member, said Kalanick told the board the diligence report was "clean." Kalanick denied having said that. Gurley also said Kalanick "crossed a line of violating fraud and fiduciary duty" with the Otto acquisition. As part of the Otto deal, Uber agreed to indemnify Levandowski against any legal action, Kalanick said. He conceded that the legal battle makes hiring Levandowski "not as great as what we thought it was at the beginning." 'X Factor' Uber was not the only company interested in Levandowski - rival Lyft Inc also made an offer to buy Levandowski's self-driving startup, Lior Ron, Otto co-founder and an Uber executive, testified on Wednesday. Levandowski turned down the offer. Kalanick was shown in court an email from another executive, which said the "X factor" of acquiring Levandowski's company was the "IP in their heads." Kalanick said he did not remember the email but did not deny reading it. When questioned by Uber's lawyer, Kalanick said that "to no extent at all" did he hire Levandowski to get trade secrets and Levandowski never told him he would bring Waymo's secrets to Uber. The trial is expected to continue through next week. The jury will have to decide whether the documents downloaded by Levandowski were indeed trade secrets and not common knowledge and whether Uber improperly acquired them, used them and benefited from them.

Before lawsuit, Uber fell out with 'big brother' Google, Kalanick testifies

Google is reported to be developing a subscription-based game streaming service.&nbsp;

The service is likely to be compatible with its Chromecast or a Google-made console.

Alphabet Inc. announced on Wednesday its plan of developing a new service codenamed &#39;Yeti&#39;.

&#39;Yeti&#39; would put Google at the forefront of the video game market that enables the users to play while the games are being streamed. The new service aims at rendering the need for downloading games or using the disks versions unnecessary.

The service will make use of Google&#39;s cloud servers to broadcast the games to users over the internet.

According to reports, Google has already discussed &#39;Yeti&#39; with game developers. It is not clear if the developers will create a game especially for &#39;Yeti&#39;&nbsp;or make existing streamed games available.

The service is likely to be compatible with its Chromecast or a Google-made console

Google is reported to be developing a subscription-based game streaming service. The service is likely to be compatible with its Chromecast or a Google-made console. Alphabet Inc. announced on Wednesday its plan of developing a new service codenamed 'Yeti'. 'Yeti' would put Google at the forefront of the video game market that enables the users to play while the games are being streamed. The new service aims at rendering the need for downloading games or using the disks versions unnecessary. The service will make use of Google's cloud servers to broadcast the games to users over the internet. According to reports, Google has already discussed 'Yeti' with game developers. It is not clear if the developers will create a game especially for 'Yeti' or make existing streamed games available.

Google to break into gaming market with 'Yeti' streaming service

Internet giant Google will support Tamil Nadu government&#39;s digitisation efforts.

The government of Tamil Nadu aims to make all government websites mobile-friendly and plans to provide cloud credits for startups in the state.

Google Indis&#39;s Public Policy Director, Chetan Krishnaswamy noted at an event that Google would be pleased to work with the Tamil Nadu government and help it become a digitally empowered state.&nbsp;

The Tamil Nadu government launched the &#39;Internet Saathi&#39; programme today to promote &#39;digital literacy for women.&#39; State Information Technology Minister M Manikandan was also present at the launch.

Krishnaswamy also noted that the expansion of the &#39;Internet Saathi&#39;&nbsp;model would benefit over 600,000 women in the first phase of the programme.

The Tamil Nadu government launched the 'Internet Saathi' programme today to promote 'digital literacy for women'

Internet giant Google will support Tamil Nadu government's digitisation efforts. The government of Tamil Nadu aims to make all government websites mobile-friendly and plans to provide cloud credits for startups in the state. Google Indis's Public Policy Director, Chetan Krishnaswamy noted at an event that Google would be pleased to work with the Tamil Nadu government and help it become a digitally empowered state. The Tamil Nadu government launched the 'Internet Saathi' programme today to promote 'digital literacy for women.' State Information Technology Minister M Manikandan was also present at the launch. Krishnaswamy also noted that the expansion of the 'Internet Saathi' model would benefit over 600,000 women in the first phase of the programme.

Google to support Tamil Nadu's digitisation initiatives

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