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When driverless cars are attacked, who's the target?

Feb 12, 2024
Some observers think they are a proxy for Big Tech.
Robotaxis clogging traffic and being involved in high-profile accidents might stir resentment toward self-driving vehicles. But they might also be a symbol of Big Tech.
AFP via Getty Images

Google Search may be the most powerful arbiter of internet content

Jan 22, 2024
Websites are making content "to try to game Google results," says Mia Sato of The Verge. What has that done to human creativity?
"There is this tension between what we all want to do on the internet and what makes sense to," said Mia Sato at The Verge. "Because if Google cannot see our work, there's really no point in making it."
Photo illustration by Chesnot/Getty Images

There's big business behind those annoying CAPTCHA puzzles

Nov 22, 2023
As AI becomes more sophisticated, the industry is growing to match it, says journalist Justin Pot, who wrote about CAPTCHA for The Atlantic.
milindri/Getty Images

The new phase of the Microsoft-Google rivalry: AI and the cloud

Oct 25, 2023
Google, aka Alphabet, and Microsoft are longtime rivals. Lately, Microsoft has been on the offensive, building strength in key areas of tech.
Microsoft invested in OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, which is now integrated into the Bing search engine.
Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty Images

AI likely to make voice assistants smarter

Aug 2, 2023
Google aims to “supercharge” Google Assistant with the same tech that underlies ChatGPT, which could boost communication.
Programs like Google Assistant, Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri still have problems understanding exactly what people say, but artificial intelligence may improve their functionality.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Google is going all-in to win the AI arms race

May 11, 2023
The company's announcement of new AI product offerings this week adds new fuel to the fire.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai delivers the keynote address at the Google I/O developers conference on May 10, 2023 in Mountain View, California.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A Supreme Court case involving Google raises questions about how tech manages content

Feb 21, 2023
The case centers on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields tech platforms from legal liability over third-party content.
People wait outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday to listen to oral arguments in Gonzalez v. Google, a case that could force YouTube to invest more in content moderation.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Why do companies flush with cash still carry debt?

Jan 13, 2023
Google, for instance, has more than $116 billion in the bank, but isn’t rushing to pay off its borrowings.
Unlike many of us, Google isn't prioritizing paying off its debt — but there are some good reasons for that.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Can AI chatbots like ChatGPT compete with Google search?

Jan 5, 2023
AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT could threaten Google's bread and butter.
Google currently has more than 90% of the search engine market.
Carsten Koall/Getty Images

As our online behavior changes, companies spend less ad money on Google and Meta

Jan 4, 2023
Part of the reason: Social media platforms like TikTok are changing the way we shop online.
While Google is still a big part of the ad business, people are turning to sites like Amazon "as a product search engine instead," said Sucharita Kodali, a retail analyst at Forrester.
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images