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Google continues to build on its commitment to invest $1 billion in Africa’s digital economy. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Google announced on Oct. 6, 2021, that it would focus on supporting the continent’s tech sector over the next five years to make the internet more accessible. “Today I’m excited to reaffirm our commitment to the continent through an investment of $1 billion over five years to support Africa’s digital transformation to cover a range of initiatives from improved connectivity to investment in startups,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said during a virtual event held in 2021, per TechCrunch. Fast forward to 2024, and the tech giant has already invested over $900 million since the announcement and expects to reach its goal by 2026, according to information shared on its platform. Its most recent investment includes participation in a $90 million funding round for telecom solutions provider Cassava Technologies, one of Google’s partners in building the first subsea...
Google has convened at one of the yearly hot spots for art and thoughtful conversations. To celebrate Art Basel/Miami Art Week 2024, Dec. 2 – 8, many are gathering in Miami, FL, to view the works of artists from all over the world. Kicking it off on Monday, Dec. 2, ELLE Magazine Editor-At-Large Hassan Pierre; Senior Director, Global Consumer Marketing, Commerce at Google, Stephanie Horton; and journalist Lola Ogunnaike hosted an intimate conversation with multidisciplinary artist Derrick Adams, in celebration of the week, and his partnership with Google Shopping at the Matador Room inside The Miami Beach EDITION hotel. Photo Credit: Matteo Prandoni / BFA.com | Editor Credit: Brendon Cook / BFA.com | L-R: Hassan Pierre, Stephanie Horton, Lola Ogunnaike, Derrick Adams Also in attendance were artist Mickalene Thomas; interior designer Sasha Bikoff; Carmen Busquets (founder of Net a Porter); Jasmine Wahi (founder of Project for Empty Space); and broadcast journalist Cari Champion, among...
Students can now lean into Google’s AI assistant for college application readiness. According to a blog post from Google, it has launched Gemini to streamline tasks for users such as researching new topics, providing advice, planning events, and generating ideas. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Google Gemini app (@googlegemini) It can be connected to apps such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Maps, and YouTube and is available in English and Spanish, with the company planning to expand to additional languages. The feature is also a helpful tool for those who are looking for guidance as they prepare for the college admission process, and particularly first-generation college students. According to Reality Changers, these students often do not receive college readiness or familial guidance and have less financial stability. This could later result in lower self-esteem and make the transition to college more difficult. “The college application process can be daunting: There is...
Election season can be one of the most exciting and anxiety-inducing times in America. Every four years, two major party candidates campaign to become the next leader of the free world, along with lesser known independent candidates. This election’s major candidates are current Vice President Kamala Harris as a Democrat and former President Donald Trump as a Republican. Regardless of candidate choice, one critical component of the democratic process is access to voting. Throughout U.S. history, voting has not always been a right for everyone, particularly for women and people of color. Slowly but surely, change began to take hold. The journey toward voting rights for Black Americans began with the 14th Amendment in 1868, granting citizenship to formerly enslaved people. This was followed by the 15th Amendment in 1870, which prohibited racial restrictions on voting. However, barriers like poll taxes and literacy tests persisted, limiting true access. The 1965 Voting Rights Act,...
Shannon Sharpe says he could have been a billionaire if he had moved forward with an investment in Google. During an episode of Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast, which featured billionaire businessman Mark Cuban, the host reveals he lucked out of a six-figure investment in Google after receiving advice from his financial team. The opportunity to invest in what has become a major tech giant was while he was in the NFL signed to the Baltimore Ravens. He was under a four-year contract — although he remained with the team for only two seasons, during 2000 and 2001. The contract was valued at $13.8 million, which encompassed a 4.5 million signing bonus and $4.5 million guaranteed, according to Spotrac. “I remember when Google came out and they thought shares were gonna open up at about $85 a share. And I remember sending it to my financial guys, and I was like — ‘Oh, you know what?’ I had just signed with the Ravens, so I had some money. And I was like, ‘Man, I’d like to buy $300,000...
Google has pulled a recent 2024 Olympics ad after being accused of promoting the use of AI technology in place of creativity. In an ad titled “Dear Sydney,” a father narrates his journey to using the platform to help his daughter write a letter to U.S. hurdler and sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who just so happens to be her favorite athlete and inspiration, CNBC reports. While Google maintains that its AI chatbot Gemini is used solely to enhance or even jumpstart its users’ creativity , many social media users dragged the company following the ad’s airing, citing that it promotes too heavy a reliance on technology. “We believe that AI can be a great tool for enhancing human creativity, but can never replace it,” said a spokesperson for Google in an official statement following the incident, per CNBC. “Our goal was to create an authentic story celebrating Team USA.” Shelly Palmer, a professor of advanced media at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications,...
Google is awarding Black and Latino startup founders who are disrupting the artificial intelligence (AI) space. The tech giant established the Google for Startups Founders Funds to ensure Black and Latino entrepreneurs receive financial assistance and necessary support to influence multiple sectors. According to information provided to AFROTECH™, each recipient will receive $150,000 in non-dilutive cash awards and $100,000 in Google Cloud credits. Recipients also receive mental health resources and mentorship from Google’s experts across AI and sales. This is Google’s fifth year in funding, and it has allocated more than $50 million t o 570 Black and Latino founders. Moreover, founders who received funding support have later secured more than $590 million in additional investments. Google has unveiled its latest round of recipients, whose work encompasses using AI in preventative wildfires, keeping fast fashion out of landfills, and education. The 2024 Google for Startups cohort...
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is among the countries facing a humanitarian crisis. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) reported that it’s not only experiencing one of the world’s longest humanitarian crises but also one of the most complex. A most prevalent issue in the DRC is child labor. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, nearly 25,000 children work in cobalt mines. Despite the alarming rate of exploitation, a case in the U.S. regarding the matter has ended with the defendants not found at fault. Previously, in 2022, Apple, Alphabet Inc. (Google), Dell, Microsoft, and Tesla were said to have been “knowingly benefiting from and aiding and abetting the cruel and brutal use of young children in the Democratic Republic of Congo to mine cobalt,” according to ABC News. However, in March 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia found the five tech giants not liable due to only having an “ordinary buyer-seller transaction” with...
It’s the most wonderful time of the year for tech lovers – Google’s annual I/O summit. CEO Sundar Pichai, who’s been heading the company since 2015, gave a two-hour keynote speech which predominately focused on how his teams will be keeping up with the growing demand for Artificial Intelligence . Already, plenty of buzz is generating around Google Veo – their “most capable” video generator yet. It’s comparable to Open AI’s Sora, which only launched three months ago but has been revolutionary for experimental creatives. The program isn’t ready for the general public just yet, but what was shown by Pichai and his collaborators looks promising. Here’s everything you need to know about Google Veo: What Is Google Veo? Past attempts at developing AI video generators have produced lackluster results – Google’s Phenaki and Imagen Video both created distorted and sometimes crude clips. In January 2024, they unveiled Lumiere, a massive step up from past attempts, though Sora didn’t take long...
We’ve seen the jarring impacts that Artificial Intelligence can have on the music industry in recent years, but that doesn’t mean technology is all evil . On Tuesday, March 14th, Google CEO Sundar Pichai gave his two-hour keynote speech at the annual I/O Developer’s conference, where AI was mentioned over 100 times. The tech giant has some exciting things in the works, from more intuitive photo libraries to new programs that are sure to make videography a breeze. Elsewhere, Google’s teams have been crafting their version of Marvel’s J.A.R.V.I.S. system, famously introduced in Iron Man . Rollout details remain sparse for now, but while we wait for updates, here’s everything you need to know about Project Astra. What Is Project Astra? As Croma puts it, Project Astra is “ a new multimodal AI agent, capable of answering real-time questions, fed to it through text, video, and images and speech.” It simultaneously accesses information from the web and your surroundings using either your...
A program working to “break the cycle of homelessness for good” in the Bay Area of California has launched, and Google is backing its mission. Google.org, the charitable arm of Google, is a funding partner for It All Adds Up (Bay Area Thriving Families Study), a pilot program that is providing 450 families in the Bay Area who have faced homelessness with guaranteed basic income for a year. Each family is given a randomized amount of either $1,000 a month for 12 months or $50 a month for 12 months, according to the program’s website. Its fellow funding partner is J-PAL North America, a regional office of the global research center Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab housed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Bay Area families that receive services from Compass Family Services or Hamilton Families and are part of their rental subsidy/rapid re-housing programs qualify for the recurring cash payments as long as they are in the final three months of their housing subsidy....
Google has long been recognized as a technology leader. However, the tech giant is also leading the way in fostering inclusiveness within the ever-evolving realm of digital innovation. From groundbreaking products to visionary initiatives, Google stands as a paragon of diversity and a catalyst for change, embracing voices from all corners of the globe to shape the technological landscape of the future. Tech Equity Collective (TEC) is one of Google’s latest initiatives you may not have heard about, yet further cements it as a technology trailblazer. TEC is designed to drive innovation by creating a tech ecosystem consisting of programs, community and industry partnerships that unlock opportunities for aspiring and emerging Black tech professionals. What Makes TEC Special TEC is unique in its approach to raising awareness within the Black tech community, encouraging both aspiring and emerging tech professionals to join the collective. TEC is available for individuals at different...
Following recent staff cuts in Google ‘s Augmented Reality (AR) division, the advertising sales team now faces additional layoffs, marking part of a broader restructuring initiative aimed at improving the quality of ads customer service. This move aligns with an industry trend seen in significant job cuts at companies like Amazon and Duolingo in 2024. Google’s culture, it seems, goes beyond policies; it’s about employees’ sentiments, posing a profound challenge. In January 2023, Google implemented a substantial workforce reduction, cutting 12,000 employees, equivalent to approximately 6% of its workforce. The company notified affected US staff abruptly through an early-morning email, leading to expressions of dismay among some laid-off workers. The Layoffs Are Continuing To Unfold Anticipated next is Google’s CEO addressing employee concerns and sharing insights on recent developments, including details on layoffs and their potential impacts on various roles. The CEO’s decision to...
