Google is doubling down on AI across its services
The artificial intelligence (AI) wars are heating up as Google tries to play catch-up with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which is now being used by many tech companies to improve their services.
Judging by the mishaps we’ve already seen, the Alphabet company has a long way to go. Google has had AI capability baked into its products for some time (including better translation quality in Google Translate), but generative AI will take things to a new level.
Help me write
The world’s most popular email service already has autofill options to help you finish sentences, but now it can do much more. Let’s say you need to request a refund or get out of a party you really don’t want to attend. Just enter a prompt of what you need and hit create.
Gmail will compose a message using information from previous messages in your inbox. You can adjust the length of the email and the tone (use formal for work and casual for friends). Make any other changes as you see fit and fire away when ready!
Know before you go
Did you know that Google Maps Street View owes its existence to AI? How else could billions of images be stitched together to give you that first-person perspective?
Immersive View kicked things up a notch with 3D views of select locations worldwide. Now you can combine that experience with your route to better understand the area.
Want to take a bike ride by the water but can’t decide where to begin? How about checking the conditions before setting out on that summer road trip? Now you can see the sights, weather, traffic and air quality before heading out.
Immersive View for routes will roll out over the summer and launch in 15 cities by the end of the year, including London, New York, Tokyo and San Francisco.
Photo magic
I hope you had a good Mother’s Day and took lots of photos. But wait — the one time you were able to get the whole family to stand still for one produces a pic rife with problems.
How to set up one of the most powerful security features on your iPhone
Remember when your password could be just four letters? Well, those days are long gone. Tap or click here for five tips to create better passwords and secure your accounts. Technology has brought about great wins for society and plenty of pitfalls.
5 new phone security settings that feel like secrets
Your phone is one of the most important devices you own, but it can do so much more that you may not be aware of. While developers push new features and settings all the time, it’s usually up to you to find them.
Change can be good or bad, depending on how you look at it. Some affect your privacy, while others seek to make your life easier. Tap or click here for five new changes Google is cooking up.
Insider tech tips for scheduling your COVID-19 vaccination
These days, COVID vaccinations are highly coveted. But complex obstacles are blocking us from obtaining herd immunity. For example, each state has different rules on who can get vaccinated, where they go and how the process works.
Security how-to: Remove saved credit card info your browser
You might find when you pay for something online, your web browser offers to save your credit card information, so you can pay faster next time. That can be convenient, but also dangerous if other people ever get to your computer.
Breeze through annoying online forms with this handy app
No doubt about it, filling out web forms can be time-consuming. Whether they be job applications, subscriptions or requests for further information, you have to type in all sorts of things, including your name and address.
Always forgetting your passwords? Use this clever trick
Strong passwords can be the difference between keeping an account safe and sound, and being open to attack.
Password managers can keep you safe, but since they create complicated strings of alphanumeric and special characters — and fill them in for you most of the time — using them can mean you usually don’t know what they are.