Latest news with #Actions
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
You can now schedule tasks with Gemini as Google's powerful new AI feature rivals ChatGPT's capabilities
Google is steadily evolving Gemini into a smarter, more proactive AI assistant that now competes directly with OpenAI's ChatGPT. The tech giant has started rolling out a feature called Scheduled Actions, which lets users automate recurring or timed tasks without repeating commands. Originally previewed during Google I/O, Scheduled Actions is now arriving on both Android and iOS devices. The feature is currently available to subscribers of Google One AI Premium and select Google Workspace business and education plans. With this rollout, Google is pushing Gemini closer to becoming a fully integrated productivity companion. Scheduled Actions let users instruct Gemini to perform specific tasks at set times or intervals. This includes sending daily calendar summaries, weekly content prompts, or even one time reminders. Once scheduled, Gemini handles them automatically in the background with no follow up required. For example, a user might say, 'Send me a summary of today's meetings every morning at 8 AM' or 'Generate weekly blog ideas every Friday at 10 AM.' These tasks run quietly behind the scenes, transforming Gemini from a reactive chatbot into a daily-use productivity tool. The setup process is built to be intuitive, making automation easy for both everyday users and professionals. Within the Gemini app, users can define a task, set the time, and choose the frequency through a clean and accessible interface. Scheduled Actions puts Google in direct competition with the kind of automation ChatGPT users create through Zapier or custom workflows. What gives Gemini a clear edge is its deep integration with Google's suite of apps. Functioning across Gmail, Calendar, Docs, and Tasks, Gemini offers a smooth setup and efficient task execution experience. Since it is built into tools people already use, Gemini can interact directly with information across Google's ecosystem. There is no need for third party services or custom scripts. For users already invested in Google's platform, the experience is more seamless than ChatGPT's dependence on external integrations. Scheduled Actions signals a shift in expectations for how AI assistants should function. Instead of waiting for commands, Gemini can now anticipate and handle repetitive tasks, offering a more personal and assistant like experience. While this may be just the beginning, it is a clear step toward positioning Gemini as a truly productivity first AI assistant. And as Gemini continues to evolve, it may not just catch up to ChatGPT but define the next generation of digital assistance.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As Trump hits 100 days, Brown among attorneys general battling him at every turn
Then-Rep. Anthony Brown (D), left, with then-Attorney General Brian Frosh (D) at a 2018 event in Annapolis, after Brown was elected to succeed Frosh, who stepped down. (File photo by Bruce DePuyt/Maryland Matters) Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) didn't wait until President Donald Trump (R) was inaugurated on Jan. 20 to start preparing a defense against likely actions by the incoming administration. When it became clear last year that Trump would secure a second term, Brown said he and his team immediately began researching executive orders and policies the administration pushed in his first term, from 2017 to 2021. Now, as Trump approaches 100 days in office, Brown has led or joined more than two dozen lawsuits filed by Democratic attorneys general across the country challenging the rapid-fire policy pronouncements of the new administration. Brown's office created a tab on its website called 'Federal Actions Response,' which provides Marylanders resources and other information on immigration, human rights, LGBTQ and federal employment for those impacted by Trump administration actions. 'I made a commitment that I would bring or join only those actions where I believe Marylanders are harmed or impacted in a way that's important and meaningful to them,' Brown said in an interview Friday. 'So, we're going to protect the interest the Marylanders talk about every day around their kitchen table.' Sen. Chris West (R-Baltimore County) said Friday he had not reviewed any of the current suits against the administration, but he's certain of one thing. 'There's no question that this attorney general and the prior attorney general are politically in tune with the mission of the national Democratic Party,' West said. 'They're going to file lawsuits against Republican presidents and not … against Democratic presidents, unless absolutely forced to. Ultimately, the taxpayers are paying for all these lawsuits, for the legal resources needed to bring these lawsuits.' HHS workers show up at Maryland offices Tuesday to find they were fired overnight Brown said the complaints filed have nothing to do with politics. 'I would challenge anyone to point to an action that I have either joined or brought where I cannot connect that action to what it means for Marylanders in their day-to-day lives,' he said. 'These are not political statements,' Brown said. 'These are challenges to practical issues and problems that are being created by the Trump administration.' Lawsuits include one filed Friday, with 18 other states in a federal court in Massachusetts, challenging the administration's threat to withhold funding from school systems that do not comply with its ban on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. The suit said that action would 'unlawfully imperil more than $13.8 billion that are spent to educate our youth' that includes children in high-poverty communities and those with special needs. Brown was the lead attorney on a suit that challenged the firing of thousands of probationary federal workers. A U.S. District judge in Greenbelt on April 1 issued a preliminary injunction in the case, ordering 20 agencies, including the departments of Agriculture, Labor, and Transportation, to give workers their jobs back while the case was tried. He was also co-lead on a brief supporting a challenge to Trump's executive orders on transgender rights. One declared that the federal government will recognize only two sexes, male and female, and another ordered institutions that receive federal funding to stop gender-affirming care for transgender people. But Brown doesn't take all the credit for setting a roadmap to challenge the Trump administration. He gives some credit to his predecessor, Brian Frosh (D), who served as att0rney general in Trump's last term. In 2017, the General Assembly passed a resolution authorizing the attorney general to 'take specified actions regarding civil and criminal suits' against federal actions that negatively affect Marylanders. That effort was hampered by the fact that any legal action would have to be reviewed by Gov. Larry Hogan (R), who did not allocate the $1 million for legal work the resolution called for, Frosh said. 'I'm envious of Attorney General Brown who gets resources and support from Gov. [Wes] Moore,' Frosh said in an interview Friday. 'I had to cobble together resources to play each case, and we got pro bono assistance from law firms. We had people in the office working overtime, volunteering to work on cases that weren't in their normal portfolio,' he said. 'We worked hard.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Still, Frosh said his office either led or joined in about 95 suits against the administration during Trump's first four years in office, well below the blistering pace set by Brown and the other attorneys general in the first few months of Trump's second term. Frosh defends the lawsuits, saying the attorney general 'goes after bad actors every day of the week. This was just a bad actor [Trump] at the very highest level of government, no different from somebody who's cheating, stealing or abusing people in Maryland. It's just from a much higher perch.' Frosh said he and other attorneys general notched some important wins against the Trump administration, defending the Affordable Care Act, challenging the delay to an Obama-era rule that let student borrowers get loan forgiveness if a predatory school engaged in deceptive conduct, and blocking the separation of immigrant families at the southern border. But Frosh said he's most proud of the emoluments lawsuit filed in 2017 by him and former D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine (D). The suit said Trump illegally profited off his presidency by accepting payments from foreign and domestic officials who stayed at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., and patronized other Trump family businesses. In the face of appeals from Trump and the Justice Department, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the suit could move forward. By the time it reached the Supreme Court, it was declared moot because Trump was out of office. But Frosh notes that, 'We didn't lose that case. We won it. Then the Supreme Court said, 'OK, well, it doesn't matter anymore because he's not president.'' He remains concerned about what might happen with current Supreme Court and it 6-3 conservative majority of conservative justices. He pointed to the court's decision last year that U.S. presidents have full criminal immunity for their official 'core constitutional' acts, but not for unofficial acts. Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative returns to reiterate its points 'If you look at the Constitution, the word immunity does not appear in Article 2, which is the article about the president,' he said. 'No Supreme Court has ever suggested a president had blanket immunity for official acts. It's Trump's dream come true.' But still, Frosh hopes the Supreme Court will assess the rule of law when it comes to Trump. 'I'm hoping that even this Supreme Court will have the guts to stand up. It's a much more challenging environment than it was eight years ago,' said Frosh, who now consults with Bloomberg Philanthropies on climate issues and the Maryland Bar Association on criminal justice issues. Both Brown and Frosh stress that, despite the attention they garner, the suits against the Trump administration are not the main focus of the office. The attorney general is the state's top prosecutor, but he also helps direct and act as a legal adviser for various state agencies, boards and offices. Under Brown's leadership since January 2023, and thanks to a Democratic-majority General Assembly, the office has received new responsibilities or expanded authority to include: Statutory authority to enforce federal and state civil rights laws, but also bring class action lawsuits in working in conjunction with the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights; Expand authority of the Independent Investigations Division to prosecute police-involved deaths and near fatal injuries; Establishment of the 'Environmental and Natural Resources Crimes Unit,' previously called Environmental Crimes Unit, which can now investigate and prosecute those who break state criminal environmental and natural resources laws; and Creation of nohomeforhate, the Civil Rights Division's portal to track hate crime and identify trends. Besides making history as the state's first Black attorney general, Brown partnered in October 2023 with Public Defender Natasha Dartigue to co-chair the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative (MEJC). The group released a report last month with 18 recommendations to eliminate racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. 'We've got a new president and a new administration in Washington which challenged us. We've got to step up our game, but we still have our day job,' Brown said. 'I tell my team, 'You've got to maintain your work life balance. You've got to take care of yourself, your personal well-being, your family,'' he said. 'I'm proud of my team that's getting the job done.'
Arab Times
17-04-2025
- Business
- Arab Times
Microsoft's Copilot Studio can now ase a computer like a human
NEW YORK, April 17: Microsoft has rolled out a new 'computer use' feature in Copilot Studio this week, allowing AI agents to interact directly with websites and desktop applications. Similar to OpenAI's Operator and Claude's feature of the same name, this functionality enables businesses to build AI agents that use websites and apps just like a human would—automating tasks without requiring an API. 'Computer use enables agents to interact with websites and desktop apps by clicking buttons, selecting menus, and typing into fields on the screen,' explained Charles Lamanna, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft's Business & Industry Copilot. 'This allows agents to handle tasks even when there is no API available to connect to the system directly. If a person can use the app, the agent can too.' With this new capability, AI agents created through Copilot Studio will be able to automate tasks such as data entry, market research, and invoice processing. Microsoft notes that these agents will also adapt to changes in app or website layouts—such as moving buttons or altered screens—allowing them to continue functioning without interruption. Earlier this month, Microsoft introduced a similar feature called "Actions" to its consumer version of Copilot. That feature allows background automation, enabling users to book restaurant reservations, purchase event tickets, or shop online without interrupting their workflow. While Actions is currently limited to select partners, Copilot Studio's "computer use" functionality is expected to work across a broader range of websites and applications.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
HIV cases more than double in Middle East and North Africa
Cases of HIV have more than doubled in the Middle East and North Africa over the last decade, new research shows. The number of new HIV infections in five countries – Jordan, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, and Lebanon – have risen by 116 per cent since 2010 and are expected to rise even further, according to a report from the charity Frontline Aids. Ongoing conflicts and displacement, which have placed people in the region more at risk of HIV infection, are partly to blame for the rise, the report's authors say. High levels of stigma in the region – including laws banning homosexuality – have also created barriers for vulnerable populations to access life-saving HIV prevention and treatments. At least 22,962 cases of HIV were recorded in 2023, compared to less than 11,000 cases in 2010. The rise bucks global trends, which have seen a 39 per cent decrease in new HIV infections over the same period. 'This is a crisis. The MENA region is being left behind. Without urgent investment and action, we could see the HIV epidemic escalating at an unprecedented rate,' said Golda Eid, Programmes Lead at Frontline AIDS. The report warns that limited political will and inadequate funding to tackle HIV in the MENA region are resulting in spiralling numbers of infections. 'I believe the actual numbers are much higher than those reported. The 116 per cent increase is linked to very limited testing coverage, and the size of the key affected population is not well known,' said Dr Mohammed El Khammas, Head of International Actions at Association for the Fight Against AIDS. Despite surging infections, in 2023 the MENA region received less than one per cent of global funding for HIV, which Frontline Aid says leaves an 85 per cent funding shortfall to provide effective HIV response. The report comes at the same time as experts have warned that US and UK aid cuts could trigger a huge resurgence in HIV cases, particularly in Africa, with up to 10.8 million more people expected to be infected globally by 2030 as critical HIV programmes are slashed. 'The current cuts to Pepfar and USAID-supported programmes have already disrupted access to essential HIV services, including for antiretroviral therapy and HIV prevention and testing,' said Dr Debra ten Brink, a scientist at Australia's Burnet Institute. 'Looking ahead, if other donor countries reduce funding, decades of progress to treat and prevent HIV could be unravelled.' Frontline Aids is now calling for stronger political leadership, increased funding programs, the destigmatisation of key populations, improved service delivery, and integration of HIV into general humanitarian response to reduce the surge in infections. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
