Google in ‘tough position' as it balances AI advances and advertising revenue

Google is facing a 'tough' balancing act of showing it can innovate in AI while maintaining its vital advertising revenue from its search engine, an expert has said.
On Tuesday, the tech giant announced that it was rolling out a new, optional version of its search engine entirely powered by artificial intelligence, which it said would enable users to ask longer, more complex queries.
It was part of a string of announcements around new AI tools coming to Google's various services.
But Leo Gebbie, industry expert and principal analyst at CCS Insight, said the company would need to strike a delicate balance between showing it was a leader in AI, while also protecting the money it raises from its search engine, which makes up the 'vast majority' of its revenue.
'As expected, Google is wrapping AI more tightly into its products and services than ever before. This includes Search, which will now get a dedicated AI mode,' he said.
'Any moves that Google makes to amend its Search product are of critical importance given that this contributes the vast majority of Google's revenues on a quarter-by-quarter basis.
'The new interface appears to try and cut down on the number of web pages that users will need to navigate to, allowing Google to handle more complex inquiries within its own platform.
'For the end user, this should mean less time spent browsing the web itself, and more time spent talking with Google's AI tools.
'What's far from clear is how Google will include advertising here, how third-party websites will respond to a lack of traffic to their content, and – as always – whether AI can be trusted to provide trustworthy responses to users.
'These are major and existential questions for Google given how central Search is to its entire business model.
'Google is in a tough position. The pressure is on for the company to show the value of its AI investments and to integrate it into its biggest products, like Search, but with that comes the risk that it jeopardises these critical revenue streams.
'But as competitors ramp up their offerings and shareholders look for returns, it must continue to seek innovation.'
The rise of OpenAI's ChatGPT following its launch in late 2022 sparked an AI arms race which has seen many of Silicon Valley's most established names rush to introduce their own take on generative AI chatbots and integrate the emerging technology into their existing offerings, but with mixed results.
Both Google and Apple have had issues with their generative tools creating misleading or inaccurate content, and AI tools also remain the subject of concerns around their potential impact on the jobs market, as well as issues around data privacy and copyright, with the creative industries warning the technology could be huge damage to their sector.

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Geeky Gadgets

3 hours ago

• Geeky Gadgets

How to Use the ChatGPT App for Windows 11

What if you could have a personal assistant on your Windows 11 device—one that never sleeps, learns your preferences, and adapts to your needs? With the ChatGPT app, this isn't just a futuristic dream; it's a reality at your fingertips. Whether you're drafting emails, brainstorming creative ideas, or breaking down complex topics into digestible insights, this app transforms how you interact with artificial intelligence. But here's the catch: many users don't fully explore its potential, missing out on features that could transform their workflow. If you've ever wondered how to seamlessly integrate AI into your daily tasks, this quick-start guide by Aldo James is here to show you how. In the sections ahead, Aldo James takes you through how to download, install, and personalize the ChatGPT app for Windows 11, unlocking tools designed to boost productivity and creativity. From voice interaction capabilities to advanced customization options, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to tailor the app to your unique needs. You'll also learn how to navigate its standout features, like temporary chats for private inquiries or organizing your content with built-in libraries. By the end, you'll not only master the basics but also uncover ways to make the app work smarter for you. After all, technology should adapt to you—not the other way around. ChatGPT App Overview Getting Started: Downloading and Installing To begin using the ChatGPT app, you need to download and install it from the Microsoft Store. Follow these steps to get started: Launch the Microsoft Store on your Windows 11 device. Search for 'ChatGPT' in the search bar or explore the AI Hub section. Click 'Install' to download the app. Once the installation is complete, open it from the Start menu or directly from the Microsoft Store. 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Key Features and Functionalities The ChatGPT app is designed with user convenience in mind, offering a range of features to enhance your experience: Access both new and previous chats, allowing you to revisit past conversations effortlessly. Manage generated images through a dedicated library for easy retrieval and organization. Use integration with various GPT models to perform tasks such as image creation, code writing, and web searches. These features make the app a versatile tool, catering to diverse needs ranging from casual use to professional applications. Customizing Your AI Experience Personalization is a key aspect of the ChatGPT app, allowing you to tailor it to your preferences. You can customize your experience by: Assigning a name and defining traits for the AI to align with your communication style. Adjusting settings such as language preferences, system theme, text size, and hotkeys for a more personalized interface. Allowing or disabling advanced features like web search, voice recording, and memory storage to suit your workflow. These customization options ensure that the app adapts to your specific needs, enhancing both usability and efficiency. Voice Interaction Capabilities Voice interaction is one of the standout features of the ChatGPT app, offering a natural and engaging way to communicate with AI. Key functionalities include: The 'Dictate' feature, which allows you to input queries via voice, saving time and effort. 'Advanced Voice Mode,' which supports conversational interactions with customizable voice options for a more personalized experience. These tools not only improve accessibility but also make the app more user-friendly, especially for multitasking or hands-free scenarios. Data Security and Privacy Features The ChatGPT app prioritizes data security, providing robust tools to manage your information effectively: Archive and export chat data for record-keeping or further analysis. 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Spectator

4 hours ago

• Spectator

Is AI eating your brain?

Do you remember long division? I do, vaguely – I certainly remember mastering it at school: that weird little maths shelter you built, with numbers cowering inside like fairytale children, and a wolf-number at the door, trying to eat them (I had quite a vivid imagination as a child). Then came the carnage as the wolf got in – but also a sweet satisfaction at the end. The answer! You'd completed the task with nothing but your brain, a pen, and a scrap of paper. You'd thought your way through it. You'd done something, mentally. You were a clever boy. I suspect 80 to 90 per cent of universities will close within the next ten years Could I do long division now? Honestly, I doubt it. I've lost the knack. But it doesn't matter, because decades ago we outsourced and off-brained that job to machines – pocket calculators – and now virtually every human on earth carries a calculator in their pocket, via their phones. Consequently, we've all become slightly dumber, certainly less skilled, because the machines are doing all the skilful work of boring mathematics. Long division is, of course, just one example. The same has happened to spelling, navigation, translation, even the choosing of music. Slowly, silently, frog-boilingly, we are ceding whole provinces of our minds to the machine. What's more, if a new academic study is right, this is about to get scarily and dramatically worse (if it isn't already worsening), as the latest AI models – from clever Claude Opus 4 to genius Gemini 2.5 Pro – supersede us in all cerebral departments. The recent study was done by the MIT Media Lab. The boffins in Boston apparently strapped EEG caps to a group of students and set them a task: write short essays, some using their own brains, some using Google, and some with ChatGPT. The researchers then watched what happened to their neural activity. The results were quite shocking, though not entirely surprising: the more artificial intelligence you used, the more your actual intelligence sat down for a cuppa. Those who used no tools at all lit up the EEG: they were thinking. Those using Google sparkled somewhat less. And those relying on ChatGPT? Their brains dimmed and flickered like a guttering candle in a draughty church. It gets worse still. The ChatGPT group not only produced the dullest prose – safe, oddly samey, you know the score – but they couldn't even remember what they'd written. When asked to recall their essays minutes later, 78 per cent failed. Most depressingly of all, when you took ChatGPT away, their brain activity stayed low, like a child sulking after losing its iPad. The study calls this 'cognitive offloading', which sounds sensible and practical, like a power station with a backup. What it really means is: the more you let the machine think for you, the harder it becomes to think at all. And this ain't just theory. The dulling of the mind, the lessening need for us to learn and think, is already playing out in higher education. New York Magazine's Intelligencer recently spoke to students from Columbia, Stanford, and other colleges who now routinely offload their essays and assignments to ChatGPT. They do this because professors can no longer reliably detect AI-generated work; detection tools fail to spot the fakes most of the time. One professor is quoted thus: 'massive numbers of students are going to emerge from university with degrees, and into the workforce, who are essentially illiterate.' In the UK the situation's no better. A recent Guardian investigation revealed nearly 7,000 confirmed cases of AI-assisted cheating across British universities last year – more than double the previous year, and that's just the ones who got caught. One student admitted submitting an entire philosophy dissertation written by ChatGPT, then defending it in a viva without having read it. The result? Degrees are becoming meaningless, and the students themselves – bright, ambitious, intrinsically capable – are leaving education maybe less able than when they entered. The inevitable endpoint of all this, for universities, is not good. Indeed, it's terminal. Who is going to take on £80k of debt to spend three years asking AI to write essays that are then marked by overworked tutors using AI – so that no actual human does, or learns, anything? Who, in particular, is going to do this when AI means there aren't many jobs at the end, anyhow? I suspect 80 to 90 per cent of universities will close within the next ten years. The oldest and poshest might survive as finishing schools – expensive playgrounds where rich kids network and get laid. 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So I asked Claude Opus 4 to write me a 10,000-word essay on 'the history, culture and impact of slavery in Viking society.' The result – five minutes later – was not far short of gobsmacking. Claude chose an elegant title ('Chains of the North Wind'), then launched into a stylish, detailed, citation-rich essay. If I had stumbled on it in a library or online, I would have presumed it was the product of a top professional historian, in full command of the facts, taking a week or two to write. But it was written by AI. In about the time it will take you to read this piece. This means most historians are doomed (like most writers). This means no one will bother learning history in order to write history. This means we all get dumber, just as the boffins in Boston are predicting. I'd love to end on a happy note. But I'm sorry, I'm now so dim I can't think of one. So instead, I'm going to get ChatGPT to fact-check this article – as I head to the pub.

The Independent

11 hours ago

• The Independent

ChatGPT use linked to cognitive decline, research reveals

Relying on the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT to help you write an essay could be linked to cognitive decline, a new study reveals. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab studied the impact of ChatGPT on the brain by asking three groups of people to write an essay. One group relied on ChatGPT, one group relied on search engines, and one group had no outside resources at all. The researchers then monitored their brains using electroencephalography, a method which measures electrical activity. The team discovered that those who relied on ChatGPT — also known as a large language model — had the 'weakest' brain connectivity and remembered the least about their essays, highlighting potential concerns about cognitive decline in frequent users. 'Over four months, [large language model] users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels,' the study reads. 'These results raise concerns about the long-term educational implications of [large language model] reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into AI's role in learning.' The study also found that those who didn't use outside resources to write the essays had the 'strongest, most distributed networks.' While ChatGPT is 'efficient and convenient,' those who use it to write essays aren't 'integrat[ing] any of it' into their memory networks, lead author Nataliya Kosmyna told Time Magazine. Kosmyna said she's especially concerned about the impacts of ChatGPT on children whose brains are still developing. 'What really motivated me to put it out now before waiting for a full peer review is that I am afraid in 6-8 months, there will be some policymaker who decides, 'let's do GPT kindergarten,'' Kosmyna said. 'I think that would be absolutely bad and detrimental. Developing brains are at the highest risk.' But others, including President Donald Trump and members of his administration, aren't so worried about the impacts of ChatGPT on developing brains. Trump signed an executive order in April promoting the integration of AI into American schools. 'To ensure the United States remains a global leader in this technological revolution, we must provide our Nation's youth with opportunities to cultivate the skills and understanding necessary to use and create the next generation of AI technology,' the order reads. 'By fostering AI competency, we will equip our students with the foundational knowledge and skills necessary to adapt to and thrive in an increasingly digital society.' Kosmyna said her team is now working on another study comparing the brain activity of software engineers and programmers who use AI with those who don't. 'The results are even worse,' she told Time Magazine.