Google Archives

Google to change map names for Gulf of Mexico and Denali when US updates them based on Trump order

Google says it will take its cue from the U.S. government if it has to change the names of the Gulf of Mexico and Denali on its Maps service. The company said Monday that it will only make changes when the government updates its official listings for the body of water and the mountain. After taking office, President Donald Trump ordered that the water bordered by the Southern United States, Mexico and Cuba be renamed to the Gulf of America. He also ordered America’s highest mountain peak be changed back to Mt. McKinley.… Continue Reading

Google forges ahead with its next generation of AI technology while fending off a breakup threat

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google on Wednesday unleashed another wave of artificial intelligence designed to tackle more of the work and thinking done by humans as it tries to stay on technology’s cutting edge while also trying to fend off regulatory threats to it internet empire. The next generation of Google’s AI is being packaged under the Gemini umbrella unveiled a year ago. Google is framing its release of Gemini 2.0 as a springboard for AI agent built to interpret images shown through a smartphone, perform a variety of tedious chores, remember the conversations they have with people, help video game players plot strategy and even tackle the task of doing online searches.… Continue Reading

Stock market today: Wall Street rises with Nvidia as bitcoin bursts above $99,000

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks climbed after market superstar Nvidia and another round of companies said they’re making even fatter profits than expected. The S&P 500 pulled 0.5% higher Thursday after flipping between modest gains and losses several times in the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite edged up by less than 0.1%. Banks, smaller companies and other areas of the stock market that tend to do best when the economy is strong helped lead the way, while bitcoin briefly broke above $99,000. Crude oil, meanwhile, continued to rise. Treasury yields inched higher in the bond market.… Continue Reading

US regulators seek to break up Google, forcing Chrome sale as part of monopoly punishment

U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade. The proposed breakup floated in a 23-page document filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Justice Department calls for Google to sell its industry-leading Chrome web browser and impose restrictions designed to prevent Android from favoring its search engine. Regulators also want to ban Google from forging multibillion-dollar deals to lock in its dominant search engine as the default option on Apple’s iPhone and other devices.… Continue Reading

Google Maps adds AI features to help users explore and navigate the world around them

PALO ALTO, Calif. (AP) — Google Maps is heading down a new road steered by artificial intelligence. The shift announced Thursday will bring more of the revolutionary AI technology that Google already has been baking into its dominant search engine to the widely used digital maps service that the internet company launched nearly 20 years ago as part of its efforts to expand into new frontiers. Google Maps recently surpassed 2 billion worldwide monthly users for the first time, a milestone that illustrates how dependent people have become on the service. With the introduction of Google’s AI technology, the maps are now being set up to become an entertainment guide in addition to a navigational tool.… Continue Reading

Google expert at antitrust trial says government underestimates competition for online ad dollars

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — An expert witness testifying for Google says an antitrust case brought against the tech giant drastically underestimates the company’s competition. Economist Mark Israel testified Thursday for Google during the third week of trial in Alexandria, Virginia. The Justice Department and several states contend Google holds an illegal monopoly over the technology that matches online advertisers to publishers, a multibillion-dollar industry. Israel says the government’s case doesn’t account for changes that have occurred in online advertising over the past 10 years. In particular, the government fails to recognize that social media companies and online retailers like Amazon are competing directly with Google.… Continue Reading