Google Search is changing

May 17, 2024

Web traffic is dying, and now Google is putting AI answers at the top of its search results. What does this mean for your favorite websites? Plus, Uber’s new shuttle service, Tesla drivers ditch self-driving mode, and Jeff Bezos’ email etiquette.

Tags: AI (artificial intelligence), download, drivers, driving, email, Email etiquette, Google, Google Search, Jeff Bezos, Now, open, Plus, results, Search, search results, service, Tesla, traffic, Uber, Web, web traffic, websites

AI update: OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4o, Google Gemini 1.5 Pro and Claude iPhone app

It was a big week in the world of AI. Both Google and OpenAI released major updates. You know I’ve got your back. I cut through their marketing-speak to decipher what these updates actually mean for you and me.

Google’s AI, Gemini 1.5 Pro, will handle tons of data. Need to summarize 1,500 pages of text? No problem. It’s pretty nuts.

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Competition is a win for consumers: AT&T and AST SpaceMobile are joining forces to provide internet service from space. The deal runs through 2030. Starlink has a similar arrangement with T‑Mobile. More competition = Cheaper prices. Love when that happens!

$25 million

How much cryptocurrency MIT-educated brothers swiped in just 12 seconds. Clever, except Anton, 24, and James, 28, just got arrested for their 2023 ethereum heist. They studied computer science and math. Now they’ll have plenty of time to calculate the years they could spend in jail.

People in Iran are scared of spiders. But in Iraq, no phobia. (Get it? Arachnophobia? Oh, tough crowd today!)

😱 The truth is out: Earlier this year, Raffaela Spone was accused of creating a deepfake video of her daughter’s cheerleading competitor vaping. The community turned on Spone, complete with death threats. Fast-forward — the video turned out to be real and the investigation was botched. Yeah, Spone’s suing for $20 million.

190.6 million people

Play video games at least one hour per week in the U.S. The majorities of Gen Alpha (79%), Gen Z (76%) and millennials (65%) game. Roughly 53% of Gen X games, while 47% of baby boomers play, too. Do you? I don’t.

The big 4-0

Mark Zuckerberg celebrated turning 40 on his new $300 million superyacht. The 387-foot-long vessel, “Launchpad,” is the big boat. A smaller yacht behind it carries his staff and toys. All this and he still can’t figure out how young girls won’t get DM’d by creeps on Instagram.

Big moves for accessibility: Apple’s new assistive features include built-in eye tracking (navigate apps and select items just by looking at them), vocal shortcuts, music haptics and CarPlay changes, such as larger text and sound recognition for honks.

1 year cancer-free

For an Australian doc who received a terminal diagnosis. Richard Scolyer is alive thanks to the revolutionary treatment he created. Amazing, right?

📧 AI coming to Gmail inboxes: Soon, a “smart assistant” will summarize email threads and suggest responses. A Q&A tool (powered by Gemini) will dig through your emails to answer questions like, “I got three bids for a new roof. Which one is the best?” Once it’s live for everyone, I’ll show you how to use it.