I read this weekend’s shocking report in The Information that Google is working on an AI model that can essentially “hijack” your Chrome browser and perform tasks on your behalf, like booking flights or purchasing products. Two things immediately came to mind when I read the shocking report about being.
My first reaction was to congratulate myself for quitting Chrome (because I need a privacy-ignoring tech monopoly to do tasks for me, like I need a hole in my head). . My mind then flashed back to the shock I recently experienced when I opened Google Calendar for details about an upcoming vacation. By the way, I use Google Calendar, not by choice, but neither here nor there.
I’m flying out of Memphis for a trip and connecting through Denver, but my panic mounts when I see on my Google Calendar that it says I’m leaving from Orlando International Airport and connecting through Denver instead of Memphis. Ta.
A quick double-check of my confirmation email confirmed that everything was fine and that I hadn’t accidentally purchased a ticket to go to the Sunshine State. It was just a matter of Google being Google. I bring this up because that’s been my experience using Google products, at least over the past year. Specifically, I felt that Google was unreliable when it came to tasks that required it.
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As we all know, Google Search is hopelessly broken. More than ever, emails you actually want are randomly ending up in your Gmail spam folder. Google Maps is full of ridiculous and easy to spot spam. There are many inaccuracies in AI overviews, so you should always double-check them.
I’m angry that Google isn’t helpful. It’s truly beyond garbage. A broken, bloated, dysfunctional service won’t help you find *anything* past the pain.
— KG, FEMA disrespecter (@interstatejuche) August 27, 2024
It’s all because of Google’s obsession with AI and error-filled, garbage-filled automation, and the company, once widely regarded as the “organizer of world information,” is struggling to keep up with the world’s information. Because they are willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. AI revolution. In fact, Google is so obsessed with AI to the detriment of its core business that its new AI model (codenamed Project Jarvis, powered by Google’s next version of Gemini) reportedly has the potential to take over the browser. ) actually poses a big question. Related to privacy:
If an AI model can actually complete a task or an entire transaction, doesn’t that mean it has implications for Google’s core business of advertising? So if AI is doing everything, what’s on the screen? You can step away from it and make a cup of coffee without being glued to it. This is the screen where advertisements are usually displayed and where you may access them.
So let’s see if this is correct. A large portion of the population either doesn’t want AI or is skeptical about it, and this kind of thing also seems potentially harmful to Google’s business. But, you know, we’re going full speed ahead anyway — we can’t let Sam Altman win.
To be honest, not only does this whole thing continue to baffle me, but I’m still convinced that there will be a day of reckoning when the AI bubble finally bursts in a really spectacular way. Masu. As an example, Gartner recently predicted that 30% of current generative AI projects will be abandoned by 2025.
About Google’s new AI model: No one is busy enough to need AI to buy them a plane ticket (and not without double-checking all the details after the fact anyway, which defeats the purpose). I especially don’t want Google’s AI to do that for me, even if Google’s AI correctly scans the ticket confirmation email in its Gmail product and displays the correct airport code in my Google Calendar. Because it’s obvious that you can’t.
There’s a reason “Google” is no longer a verb for Gen Z. Why do young netizens flock to products from different companies that actually work correctly? This is what happens when managers take control of a company and prioritize maintaining profits over quality and usefulness. At that point, the story you tell the world becomes more important than doing lots of little things well. Small but important things add up to the important service that people loved you for.
