Latest news with #Gemini2.5ProPreview
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
What is agentic AI and why is everyone talking about it?
According to the AI overlords, this is the year of agentic AI. You may have seen Google announce its "agentic era" with a web browsing research assistant and an AI bot that calls nail salons and mechanics for you. OpenAI leadership talked about agentic AI being a "big theme in 2025" and has already introduced a research preview of Operator, an agent that can perform tasks on your behalf, and Deep Research, which "conducts multi-step research on the internet for complex tasks." Microsoft just unveiled Microsoft Discover, an enterprise agentic AI tool for scientists. And your next smartphone could have agentic features that can send custom messages, create calendar events, or pull together information from across different apps. If you've been nodding and smiling every time one of your tech friends mentions agentic AI, don't be embarrassed. This is a new entry in the AI glossary, but one that can no longer be ignored. "Agentic AI refers to a class of artificial intelligence systems designed to operate autonomously, perceive their environment, set goals, plan actions to achieve those goals, and execute those plans without continuous human intervention. These systems can learn and adapt over time based on feedback and new information." That's according to — what else? — Google's AI chatbot Gemini. Unlike generative AI, which is essentially a tool for creating some kind of output — code, text, audio, images, videos — agentic AI can autonomously perform tasks on a user's behalf. This is a step up from the standard AI chatbot experience. Instead of generating a response based on its training material, agentic AI can take additional steps, such as conducting internet searches and analyzing the results, consulting additional sources, or completing a task in another app or software. You may have heard this term used interchangeably with AI agents, but agentic AI is a broader term that encompasses technology that may not be fully autonomous but has some agent-like capabilities. So, OpenAI considers Operator an AI agent because it has contextual awareness and can perform tasks for you like sending text messages. And its Deep Research tool is agentic AI because it can autonomously crawl the web and compile a report for the user, though its capabilities pretty much stop there for now. Agentic AI is powered by more advanced reasoning models like ChatGPT o3 and Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview, which can break down complex tasks and make inferences. This brings large-language models like ChatGPT one step closer to mimicking how the human brain works. Unless you constantly retrain a generative AI model with new information, it can't learn new things, said Karen Panetta, IEEE Fellow and professor of engineering at Tufts University. "This other kind of AI can learn from seeing other examples, and it can be more autonomous in breaking down tasks and helping you with more goal-driven types of activities, versus more exploratory or giving back information." When combined with computer vision, which is what allows a model to "see" a user's computer screen, we get the agentic AI everyone is so excited about. Google's new AI shopping experience could utilize agentic AI to make purchases on your behalf. Credit: Google Agentic AI is not entirely new. Self-driving cars and robot vacuums could both be considered early examples of agentic AI. They're technologies with autonomous properties that rely on advanced sensors and cameras to make sense of their environment and react accordingly. But agentic AI is having its moment now for a few reasons. Crucially, the latest models have gotten better and more user-friendly (although sometimes too friendly). And as people begin to rely on AI chatbots like ChatGPT, there's a growing interest in using these tools to automate daily tasks like responding to emails. With agentic AI, you don't need to be a computer programmer to use ChatGPT for automation. You can simply tell the chatbot what to do in plain English and have it carry out your instructions. At least, that's the idea. Companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic are banking on agentic AI because it has the potential to move the technology beyond the novelty chatbot experience. With agentic AI, tools like ChatGPT could become truly indispensable for businesses and individuals alike. Agentic AI tools could order groceries online, browse and buy the best-reviewed espresso machine for you, or even research and book vacations. In fact, Google is already taking steps in this direction with its new AI shopping experience. In the business world, companies are looking to agentic AI to resolve customer service inquiries and adjust stock trading strategies in real-time. Are there risks involved with unleashing autonomous bots in the wild? Why, yes. With an agent operating on your behalf, there's always a risk of it sending a sensitive email to the wrong person or accidentally making a huge purchase. And then there's the question of liability. "Am I going to be sued because I went and had my agent do something?" Panetta wondered. "Say I'm working as an officer of something, and I use an AI agent to make a decision, to help us do our planning, and then you lose that organization money." The major AI players have put safeguards in place to prevent AI agents from going rogue, such as requiring human supervision or approval for sensitive tasks. OpenAI says Operator won't take screenshots when it's in human override mode, and it doesn't currently allow its agent to make banking transactions. But what about when the technology becomes more commonplace? As we become more comfortable with agentic AI, will we become more passive and lax about oversight? Earlier in this article, we used Google Gemini to help define agentic AI. If we become dependent on AI tools for even simple learning, will human beings get dumber? Then there's the extensive data access we have to give agents. Sure, it would be convenient for ChatGPT to automatically filter, sort, or even delete emails. But do you want to give an AI company full access to every email you've ever sent or received? And what about bad actors that don't have such safeguards in place? Panetta warns of increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks utilizing agentic AI. "Because the access to powerful computing now is so cheap, that means that the bad actors have access to it," she said. "They can be running simulations and being able to come up with sophisticated schemes to break into your systems or connive you into taking out this equity loan." AI has always been a double-edged sword, with equally potent harms and benefits. And with agentic AI getting ready for primetime deployment, the stakes are getting higher. Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable's parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Hey, Google: Prerecorded AI Presentations Are the Coward's Way Out
Just about every big tech event these days includes artificial intelligence updates, often with a slate of live demos -- and sometimes, these demos fail. But some companies are dodging these pitfalls by prerecording their keynote presentations. And I call these moves cowardice. At last year's Made by Google event, Gemini failed twice during a live demonstration. Though moments like this are undoubtedly embarrassing for companies, they add a layer of authenticity you don't get with a prerecorded keynote event. But unfortunately, Google chose the prerecorded route for Tuesday's Android Show: I/O Edition. The format felt way too staged and polished for my liking, and it stripped away the feeling of reality that comes with live, warts-and-all demos. During the Android Show: I/O Edition, we saw a demonstration of Gemini sharing makeup tips, helping someone find a time to grab lunch in their busy schedule, and giving a summary of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Because these were prerecorded interactions, Gemini handled the requests with aplomb -- no hiccups or issues in sight. But tests show that AI models routinely get things wrong. According to the AI testing site LiveBench, Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview is generally correct about 79% of the time. That's not bad, but it's not great either. And despite that score, this model of Gemini is still one of the best AI models the site tested, losing out to only two other models: OpenAI's o3 High and o4 Medium models. Sure, nothing is perfect, and devices and software have bugs. But if you give me a calculator and promise it works all the time, but in reality it's wrong 20% of the time, that feels like a major discrepancy. Since Gemini outperformed most other AI models LiveBench tested, there's a good chance I'd still use Gemini, even if the live demo stalled. But because Google opted for a superpolished demonstration, I have a hard time knowing what to believe. Look, I understand why a company would want its product to work properly at its own event. But showing AI tools making mistakes feels more honest than acting like the tool is perfect. These capabilities are flawed, and that's fine, but be honest with people about those flaws and show your new features in action. Don't sell me smoke and mirrors. For more on Google, here's what to know about Android 16 and the Material 3 Expressive design.
Hindustan Times
13-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Google changes its ‘G' logo for the first time in 10 years
Google is introducing a redesigned version of its iconic 'G' logo, marking the first major update in nearly a decade. The new design moves away from the solid four-colour blocks - red, yellow, green, and blue and replaces them with a gradient effect that seamlessly transitions between the colours. This subtle shift aims to give the icon a fresher, more contemporary appearance, which reflects Google's ongoing focus on AI. According to a 9to5Google report, the update is currently being rolled out to iOS users through the Google Search app and has begun appearing on Android devices with the release of Google app beta version 16.18. While the change is not dramatic, particularly when viewed at smaller sizes, it signifies a broader visual shift within Google's design strategy, aligning with its recent AI-driven initiatives. Also read: Google unveils Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview with major coding upgrades ahead of I/O 2025 - Details The company has not yet made any changes to the main Google wordmark. There is also no official confirmation on whether other product logos, like those of Chrome or Maps, will undergo similar updates. However, given Google's emphasis on AI across its products, it is likely that the gradient design could be expanded to other services in the future. Also read: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 likely to be world's slimmest foldable- Here's what we know This update marks the first time Google has updated its "G" logo since 2015. As the company integrates more AI features, the new gradient design reflects its evolving brand identity, particularly with the launch of Google Gemini, its generative AI assistant. Gemini's logo already incorporates a blue-to-purple gradient, further signalling a shift toward dynamic, gradient-based aesthetics in Google's visual identity. Also read: India-Pak tensions: Top apps and websites to stay informed and safe Currently, the new 'G' icon is visible on iOS and Pixel devices, while the older version remains in use on other platforms, including the web and non-Pixel Android devices. The new design is expected to roll out more widely across different devices and platforms in the coming weeks.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Google debuts an updated Gemini 2.5 Pro AI model ahead of I/O
Google on Tuesday announced the launch of Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview (I/O edition), an updated version of its flagship Gemini 2.5 Pro AI model that the company claims tops a number of widely used benchmarks. Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview (I/O edition) is available via the Gemini API and Google's Vertex AI and AI Studio platforms, and is priced the same as the Gemini 2.5 Pro model it effectively replaces. It's also in Google's Gemini chatbot app for the web and for mobile devices. The model's release comes ahead of Google's annual I/O developer conference (hence the "I/O edition" designation), where Google is expected to unveil a host of models, as well as AI-powered tools and platforms. The company is competing fiercely for mindshare and marketshare in the cutthroat AI race; rivals like OpenAI and xAI are on the cusp of releasing models that are expected to be highly performant. According to Google, Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview (I/O edition) has "significantly" improved capabilities for coding and building interactive web apps. The model is also better at tasks like code transformation — that is, modifying a piece of code to achieve a specific goal — and code editing, the company says. In a blog post, Google notes that Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview (I/O edition) leads the WebDev Arena Leaderboard, a benchmark measuring a model's ability to create aesthetically pleasing and functional web apps. Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview (I/O edition) also has state-of-the-art performance in video understanding, achieving a score of 84.8% on one popular benchmark, VideoMME. "For developers already using Gemini 2.5 Pro, this new version will not only improve coding performance but will also address key developer feedback including reducing errors in function calling and improving function calling trigger rates," wrote Google in its blog post. "By default, the model has a real taste for aesthetic web development while maintaining its steerability."
Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Chrome for Android to detect scam notifications using AI: Know how it will work
We all receive Chrome app notifications from several websites daily, but it is quite hard to examine whether the notification is credible or a scam. Many scammers misuse the notification feature to exploit users. Therefore, to avoid scam notifications and protect users, Google has launched a new AI-powered warning for Chrome on Android. This new feature will flag notifications containing suspicious or doubtful patterns and characteristics, alerting users to block or unsubscribe from such notifications. Therefore, if you are someone who enables notifications from Chrome, then you must stay aware of such scam-based notifications. Know how this new AI warning feature on Android works and how users can ensure safety. Also read: Google unveils Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview with major coding upgrades ahead of I/O 2025 - Details Google has shared a new blog post announcing enhanced safety features for Chrome on desktop and Android devices. The tech giant revealed that it is using Gemini Nano, an on-device large language model (LLM), to fight online scams and protect its users. Within the blog, Google highlighted a new AI-powered feature which has the ability to detect 'malicious, spammy or misleading notifications' from suspicious websites. This feature also leverages Google's on-device machine learning model to flag and detect notifications and provide a warning to users. Also read: iPadOS 19 update: Apple to unveil redesigned Siri, menu bar and more at WWDC 2025 The warning will appear on the notification saying 'Potential scam detected.' Below, users will have the ability to view the notification or unsubscribe from notifications on their Android devices. However, if users know that the notifications are safe, then they will also have the option to allow future notifications in case Chrome mistakenly detects the website as a scam. This feature could come in handy to users in staying alert to any malicious websites. Also read: Google to introduce UWB support for Android Find My Device with 4x speed boost: Report Alongside AI warning for scam notifications, Google has also rolled out an 'Enhanced Protection mode' on Chrome to detect scams, online threats and phishing activities. With AI, Google has been able to block several websites, and now it's using Gemini Nano's LLM which provides the 'ability to distill the varied, complex nature of websites, helping us adapt to new scam tactics more quickly.' However, note that this feature is currently available on desktop and Android devices, bringing enhanced security and user safety. Mobile Finder: iQOO Neo 10 LATEST specs, features, and price
