Alphabet

Waymo may use interior camera data to train generative AI models, but riders will be able to opt out

Waymo is preparing to use data from its robotaxis, including video from interior cameras tied to rider identities, to train generative AI models, according to an unreleased version of its privacy policy found by researcher Jane Manchun Wong, raising fresh questions about how much of a rider’s behavior inside autonomous vehicles could be repurposed for […]

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Waymo may use interior camera data to train generative AI models, sell ads

Waymo is preparing to use data from its robotaxis, including video from interior cameras tied to rider identities, to train generative AI models, according to an unreleased version of its privacy policy found by researcher Jane Manchun Wong.  The draft language reveals Waymo may also share this data to personalize ads, raising fresh questions about

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Alphabet’s AI drug discovery platform Isomorphic Labs raises $600M from Thrive

Isomorphic Labs, the AI drug-discovery platform that was spun out of Google’s DeepMind in 2021, has raised external capital for the first time. The $600 million round was led by Thrive Capital, with participation from GV and existing investor Alphabet, Google’s parent, it said.     The funding will accelerate further development of Isomorphic’s AI drug

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Google is buying Wiz for $32B to beef up in cloud security, sources say

Google is making the biggest acquisition in its history. The company’s parent company Alphabet is acquiring Wiz, the cloud security startup, for $32 billion, our sources say. The deal will still need regulatory and other approvals before closing. From what we can see, Google and Wiz have yet to confirm anything official. Other outlets are

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Google revives talks to acquire Wiz at higher valuation

Google’s parent company Alphabet is again in advanced talks to acquire cloud cybersecurity startup Wiz, a person familiar with the deal told TechCrunch. The two companies were close to securing a deal at a $23 billion valuation last summer, but the transaction failed to materialize.  This time, the price being discussed is higher, the person

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Alphabet praises DeepSeek, but it’s massively ramping up its AI spending

Booming AI budgets seemed at risk last week when DeepSeek crashed Nvidia’s stock based on speculation that its cheaper AI models would lower demand for AI chips and data centers. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has certainly noticed the Chinese AI company, praising its work as “tremendous” in Alphabet’s latest earnings call (while adding that some of Gemini’s models are

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FTC says partnerships like Microsoft-OpenAI raise antitrust concerns

The Federal Trade Commission said in a staff report issued Friday that there are potential competitive issues in partnerships between big tech companies and generative AI developers — specifically, Microsoft’s backing of OpenAI and Amazon and Alphabet/Google’s partnerships with Anthropic. “The FTC’s report sheds light on how partnerships by big tech firms can create lock-in,

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UK competition regulator clears Alphabet’s investment in Anthropic

The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has okayed Alphabet’s partnership and investment in AI rival Anthropic, concluding that it doesn’t qualify for investigation under current merger regulations. The announcement comes a month after the CMA revealed it was launching a formal “stage 1” probe into Google’s parent’s various investments in Anthropic, a three-year-old San

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Wing begins delivering blood samples via drone in London

Alphabet X spinoff Wing on Wednesday confirmed that it has started delivering blood samples via drone. The program, announced in September, is shuttling samples between London’s Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals. Wing is running up to 10 deliveries a day, Monday through Friday. Each run can contain several different samples and takes around three minutes.

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