Tech

Gemini AI: Google is the last company Apple should partner with – BGR

Published

8 months ago

March 25, 2024

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Gemini AI: Google is the last company Apple should partner with

Published Mar 24th, 2024 7:03PM EDT

Image: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Spend enough time in the online content creation business, and there’s a good chance you’ll eventually come to regard Google sort of like the alien race in Netflix’s 3 Body Problem: Highly advanced, parasitic, and so formidable an adversary that almost nothing and no one can stop it. Which is another way of saying that, no, unlike my colleague Chris Smith I’m not exactly jumping for joy at the prospect of an Apple-Google partnership that brings Google’s generative AI technology to the iPhone.

In fact, the mere idea of such a partnership reminds me of what I completely abhor about the iPhone maker under CEO Tim Cook — its tendency to preach about values like privacy and security, and to then act like any other company when someone waves cash in Apple’s face or local laws command it to do this or that. But I’m getting ahead of myself, back to Gemini AI on iPhone.

To be clear, such a partnership between Apple and Google is only rumored to be the subject of preliminary talks at this point. Apple is said to be considering bringing Google Gemini to the iPhone, largely as a way to compensate for the fact that Apple is starting to look like an also-ran in the generative AI scramble.

To that last point, let’s make one thing clear. It’s Wall Street, it’s investors, and it’s Silicon Valley that think Apple is behind the 8-ball when it comes to AI. Get out of your bubble, though, and you know what you won’t find? Real people, real iPhone users, clamoring that the one thing they wish they had on their device was a generative AI model. Sort of like how no one, at least where I live, ever uses Siri on the iPhone. Siri was definitely a cool feature when Apple launched it, but I basically haven’t touched it at all since then.

Furthermore, there’s a very nuanced understanding of the marketplace to be had here. “The world,” per se, is not moving toward AI. That’s not at all what’s going on; rather, AI is being thrust upon us, whether we like it or not. Which is why, for a start, I reject the premise that Apple is somehow lacking when it comes to AI right now. But, ok, let’s assume for the sake of argument that it’s worth shoring up the iPhone in this regard.

Google, of all companies, is the very last entity Apple should be thinking about partnering with. Which Google is Apple going to get into bed with here, exactly? Google, the monopolist that turned the open web into a hellscape of garbage? Google, the surveillance machine that’s helped lull a generation into complacency over exchanging privacy for convenience? The company whose legacy products have begun to show their age because the Googleplex has inexorably turned into a meritocracy-free zone?

What Google has done to its core search product alone — or, rather, the degree to which Google has allowed its search product to decay — ought to be enough to can CEO Sundar Pichai. But there’s not a chance in hell that will happen. In 2010, Matt Taibbi used these words in an article for Rolling Stone magazine to describe Goldman Sachs, but today it’s very much Google that’s the “vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.”

Cook, for his part, hasn’t been shy about addressing the many sins of such companies. “We believe the customer should be in control of their own information,” Cook said during a speech back in 2015. “You might like these so-called free services, but we don’t think they’re worth having your email, your search history and now even your family photos data mined and sold off for God knows what advertising purpose. And we think some day, customers will see this for what it is.”

Ah, but offer Apple some $18 billion to be the default search engine on the iPhone and — sure, Google, no problem; it’s yours. Oh, you’re putting ideologues at the vanguard of your AI effort? Let’s talk, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship. Because not even a company with a market cap of more than $2 trillion is immune to the seductive power of money, it seems.

And, by the way, this extends far beyond Google.

Cook, in recent days, has been on another of his whistle-stop tours in China, talking up how great the country is — and, specifically, what an important market China continues to be for Apple. Never mind the fact that it’s run by a totalitarian regime and is a strategic enemy of the US, one without a free market and where artists and journalists are jailed for the crime of independent thought.

Cook’s visit certainly contradicts the words of US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who said during public remarks in 2023 that US business leaders keep telling her that “China is uninvestable.” That the cost of doing business there is too high, as a result of raids, fines, updates to China’s counterespionage law, and many other risks — to say nothing of the country’s human rights abuses and the totalitarian regime that requires onerous compromises from its business partners.

But Apple has to be there, you might say — otherwise, forgoing its benefits like cheap labor would mean the cost of iPhones would shoot sky-high! And you will have just proved my point.

Because your values aren’t really values, if you only adhere to them so long as it makes financial sense to do so.

Apple also did a version of the same thing in Russia recently. Before he died under mysterious circumstances in an Arctic penal colony, Vladimir Putin critic and dissident politician Alexei Navalny was working on an app that would help people vote in the (now completed) Russian presidential election — that is to say, it would help people vote in such a way as to counter the Kremlin’s lock on the foregone outcome.

Russian opposition politician, anti-corruption campaigner and founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), Alexey Navalny is seen on the screen during his legal appeal against his nine-year prison sentence, in Moscow’s City Court, on May 24, 2022, in Moscow, Russia. Navalny died in prison under mysterious circumstances earlier this month. Image source: Getty

Navalny’s team finished that work after he died. Like clockwork, the Russian censor Roskomnadzor demanded that Apple remove the app — and the iPhone maker apparently did just that. “This app, conceived by Navalny before his tragic end, was designed to navigate the quagmire of ‘choice’ under Putin’s regime,” Navalny associate Ivan Zhdanov wrote on X/Twitter. “By deleting it, Apple shows compliance in stifling dissent, betraying those fighting for democracy.”

I know, I know. Apple is in the market. Apple has to follow the local laws and regulations. But consider this: When’s the last time you ever heard the good guys protest that “We had to do it, we were just following orders”?

I’ll admit: All of this, to some people, probably amounts to an overly simplistic way of looking at the world. Still, I can’t help feeling like the company that once lived by the code of “Think Different” has quietly replaced it with another idea that’s just as simple and just as straightforward: Keep getting paid.

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Apple

Andy Meek is a reporter based in Memphis who has covered media, entertainment, and culture for over 20 years. His work has appeared in outlets including The Guardian, Forbes, and The Financial Times, and he’s written for BGR since 2015. Andy’s coverage includes technology and entertainment, and he has a particular interest in all things streaming.

Over the years, he’s interviewed legendary figures in entertainment and tech that range from Stan Lee to John McAfee, Peter Thiel, and Reed Hastings.

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Tech

Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

Published

3 days ago

November 6, 2024

Anne Joseph

The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

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Health

Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

Published

2 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Tech

Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

Published

2 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

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