🎮 YouTube Gaming, 🤖 AI Boosts Google Sheets, 🧑‍⚖️ Meta and AI Regulation

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Hello, and welcome to today’s update! A lot of interesting news related to Big Tech and AI. Here are some of today’s headlines:

• Google Launches 'Perspectives' Search

• YouTube Dives into Online Gaming

• Meta Supports EU AI Regulations

• AI Boosts Google Sheets

• AI Hype Masks Economic Threats

• AI's Dual Impact on SEO

• and more...

🌐 Big Tech

Google Launches 'Perspectives' Search (2-minute read)

Google is introducing a new search feature, 'Perspectives', designed to display human-shared content from various platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit. The feature aims to provide diverse viewpoints in search results.

Insight: This development could have an industry-wide impact, changing how we interact with search engines. By integrating social media content, Google is enhancing the richness and diversity of search results, potentially reshaping user behavior and expectations.

YouTube Dives into Online Gaming (3-minute read)

YouTube is reportedly testing a new product named Playables, offering online games accessible on both mobile and desktop. This move comes as a potential new revenue stream amidst a decline in advertising spending. The games, including the ad-supported arcade game Stack Bounce, can be played directly on the YouTube website or app.

Insight: This move marks a significant shift for YouTube, potentially impacting the global gaming industry. By leveraging its massive audience, YouTube could redefine the online gaming landscape, offering a new way for game developers to reach users and generate revenue.

TikTok Targets Southeast Asia Growth (4-minute read)

TikTok is focusing on Southeast Asia for its future growth, planning to invest billions, including $10bn in Indonesia over the next five years. Despite regulatory challenges and competition, the company aims to double last year's $2.5bn in ecommerce sales in Indonesia and hit $15bn in gross merchandise sales in Southeast Asia this year.

Apple Card's Global Expansion Stalls (3-minute read)

Apple's discussions for a global rollout of its Apple Card face significant hurdles, including regulatory issues and cashback deal challenges, particularly in India.

🏭 Sector Titans

IBM Acquires Apptio (4-minute read)

IBM is nearing a $5 billion acquisition of software company Apptio, a provider of tools for tracking software usage and managing costs. The deal, which could be finalized over the weekend, is part of IBM's ongoing transformation towards hybrid cloud and AI businesses.

🚀 Startup Scene

IRL Shuts Down Post-Probe (1-minute read)

Social messaging app IRL is shutting down and returning capital to shareholders following a board investigation. The probe revealed that 95% of its claimed 20 million monthly active users were automated or bots. This comes after the suspension of founder and CEO, Abraham Shafi, for alleged misconduct.

🤖 AI & Emerging Tech

Meta Supports EU AI Regulations (2-minute read)

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have expressed support for the EU's approach to artificial intelligence regulation, agreeing on risk-based measures and watermarking.

AI Boosts Google Sheets (2-minute read)

Google Sheets is integrating Duet AI to generate templates based on user prompts, aiming to automate and simplify tasks. This move is part of Google's ongoing efforts to incorporate AI into its services.

Apple Vision Pro: Work in Progress (3-minute read)

Apple Vision Pro, unveiled at WWDC, still requires significant development before its release. Key areas like 3D video content, third-party app support, and the EyeSight feature need further refinement.

Microsoft's Quantum Computing Breakthrough (3-minute read)

Microsoft Quantum researchers claim to have achieved a significant milestone in the development of a practical and reliable quantum computer. They have reportedly engineered a new way to represent a logical qubit with hardware stability, using a phase of matter characterized by Majorana zero modes. Microsoft also introduced a new performance measure for quantum supercomputers: reliable quantum operations per second (rQOPS).

AWS Curates AI Models (6-minute read)

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is curating a selection of AI models through its Bedrock and SageMaker JumpStart platforms, offering customers a variety of tools for machine learning and AI applications. AWS believes that there won't be a single dominant AI model, but rather a range of models that can be combined and customized to meet specific needs.

💰´Tech Market Pulse

AI Hype Masks Economic Threats (8-minute read)

Despite the excitement around AI, the US economy faces significant risks, including high interest rates, potential recession, commercial real estate troubles, and China's economic slowdown. The Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes have raised borrowing costs, impacting sectors like banking and commercial real estate, and increasing the risk of an economic downturn.

💡Insights & Analysis

Small Tech Embraces Remote Work (7-minute read)

Small tech companies are leveraging remote work to attract talent and compete with Big Tech. According to Scoop Technologies, 81% of tech companies with fewer than 5,000 employees allow or only offer remote work, compared to 26% of companies with over 25,000 employees. This "flexibility divide" is helping smaller companies attract diverse talent and increase productivity.

AI's Dual Impact on SEO (10-minute read)

Generative AI is influencing SEO in two ways: the creation of AI-generated content and its integration into search engine algorithms. While AI-generated content isn't penalized by search engines, it often lacks the quality and originality that search engines prioritize. Meanwhile, search engines like Google and Bing are using generative AI to better understand user intent and provide more precise results.