Latest news with #NickTurley
Engadget
16 hours ago
- Business
- Engadget
Google plans to appeal the antitrust ruling against its search engine dominance
The complex and consequential antitrust trial against Google and its search engine practices recently heard its closing arguments, and the tech giant is already planning to appeal. In a post made on X, Google confirmed it would file an appeal, explaining that the proposed solutions went too far and "would harm consumers." 'We will wait for the Court's opinion,' Google wrote. 'And we still strongly believe the Court's original decision was wrong, and look forward to our eventual appeal.' To challenge Google's dominance of the search engine market, the Department of Justice took on the tech giant by filing a lawsuit back in 2020. The monumental antitrust case has steadily evolved over the years, with the DOJ proposing remedies like Google opening up its search engine tech to licensing, prohibiting agreements with device makers like Apple and Samsung to ensure Google was the default search engine and forcing the sale of the Chrome browser and the open-source Chromium project. According to Google, the Department of Justice's proposed actions would open consumers up to "very real privacy issues," leave the government in charge of user data and help "well-funded competitors." Instead, Google offered to loosen its agreements to allow other search engines on devices and create an oversight committee to monitor the company's activities. Since then, the federal judge presiding over the case, Amit Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, ruled in August 2024 that Google had an illegal monopoly of the search engine market. The judge agreed with the DOJ that Google owning the Chrome browser gives it an unfair advantage since it could use its search engine advantage to drive more traffic and generate more revenue for the company. The end result of this antitrust trial could have serious implications for the future of AI, which is closely tied to the search engine market. According to Google, this ruling could allow other companies with AI chatbots to step in and dominate the search engine market instead. During the trial, Nick Turley, an OpenAI executive, testified that the company would be interested in buying Chrome if Google was forced to sell it.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Google and DOJ to make final push in US search antitrust case
Alphabet's Google and U.S. antitrust enforcers will make their final arguments on whether the tech giant should be forced to sell its Chrome browser or adopt other measures to restore competition in online search, as the blockbuster antitrust trial concludes on Friday. The U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of states are pressing to make Google not only sell Chrome, but also share search data and cease multibillion-dollar payments to Apple and other smartphone makers and wireless carriers that set Google as the default search engine on new devices. The proposals aim to restore competition after a judge found last year that Google illegally dominates the online search and related advertising markets. Artificial intelligence companies could get a boost after already rattling Google's status as the go-to tool to find information online. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta is overseeing the trial, which began in April. He has said he aims to rule on the proposals by August. If the judge does require Google to sell off Chrome, OpenAI would be interested in buying it, Nick Turley, OpenAI's product head for ChatGPT, said at the trial. OpenAI would also benefit from access to Google's search data, which would help it make responses to user inquiries more accurate and up to date, Turley said. Google says the proposals go far beyond what is legally justified by the court's ruling, and would give away its technology to competitors. The company has already begun loosening agreements with smartphone makers including Samsung Electronics to allow them to load rival search and AI products. The DOJ wants the judge to go farther, banning Google from making lucrative payments in exchange for installation of its search app.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Google and DOJ to make final push in US search antitrust case
Live Events Alphabet's Google and U.S. antitrust enforcers will make their final arguments on whether the tech giant should be forced to sell its Chrome browser or adopt other measures to restore competition in online search, as the blockbuster antitrust trial concludes on U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of states are pressing to make Google not only sell Chrome, but also share search data and cease multibillion-dollar payments to Apple and other smartphone makers and wireless carriers that set Google as the default search engine on new proposals aim to restore competition after a judge found last year that Google illegally dominates the online search and related advertising markets. Artificial intelligence companies could get a boost after already rattling Google's status as the go-to tool to find information online.U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta is overseeing the trial, which began in April. He has said he aims to rule on the proposals by the judge does require Google to sell off Chrome, OpenAI would be interested in buying it, Nick Turley, OpenAI's product head for ChatGPT, said at the would also benefit from access to Google's search data, which would help it make responses to user inquiries more accurate and up to date, Turley says the proposals go far beyond what is legally justified by the court's ruling, and would give away its technology to competitors. The company has already begun loosening agreements with smartphone makers including Samsung Electronics to allow them to load rival search and AI DOJ wants the judge to go farther, banning Google from making lucrative payments in exchange for installation of its search app.(Reporting by Jody Godoy in Washington; Editing by Richard Chang)
Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Why are AI companies this interested in Google Chrome?
Google Chrome may soon not be Google-owned Chrome. Apple has talked about plans for AI search options in Safari. Two snapshots suggest that in a few months, the web browser landscape may look very different from how we see it today. The repercussions, go much beyond the web browser itself. We are advancing towards something that may be classified as 'AI browsers'. Artificial intelligence (AI) companies knew long ago that transitioning search users from search engines to their AI apps was the long game. A browser may be important, to become a focal point. Little surprise then, Perplexity and OpenAI have shown interest. Things are more intertwined between AI and apps, than you may imagine. If Google is asked to let go of Chrome, a forced divestiture if it were to happen with arguably the most commonly used web browser across devices worldwide, it will reshape not just the browsing experience but also developing the foundations that also find a footing in many other web browsers — such as Microsoft Edge, which also relies on the open-source Chromium project. The US department of justice (DOJ) is pushing for significant remedies against Google following a landmark antitrust ruling in August 2024, and selling Chrome is one of them. OpenAI's ChatGPT product lead, Nick Turley, testified in April 2025 that the company would consider acquiring Chrome to integrate its AI-driven search and chatbot technologies, leveraging Chrome's 3.3 billion users. Perplexity AI's chief business officer Dmitry Shevelenko has also expressed interest, stating Perplexity could run Chrome at scale without compromising quality. Could there be a dark(er) horse in this race? Yahoo, perhaps. xAI, maybe? Anthropic, which already has the 'Computer Use' feature for Claude that allows AI to control desktops via text commands, by chance? Google will undoubtedly argue its case (and this still has some way to go before we have a decision), saying Chrome's integration with its ecosystem is essential for user experience and that its search dominance stems from superior technology, not just monopolistic practices. There is of course, Gemini which needs that footing. Search, their biggest revenue generator, is evolving. They've already talked about voice and visual search features as being the biggest contributors towards growing total search volume. A lot of that must emerge from conversational Gemini and the worldly context aware Gemini Live. At this time, interest in Chrome, can be heard in more than hushed tones. Chrome's dominance in the browser market means it captures a representative sample of global internet behaviour, making it a critical resource for training AI models that need to generalise across diverse populations. AI companies are interested in partnering with Google, as it offers a competitive edge in building more accurate and context-aware AI systems. Then there is of course the question of (one would hope) anonymised or aggregated data that AI companies can leverage, also to create virtual profiles of users, for contextual servings. There's another dimension. If Apple does succeed in adding that AI layer for search within their Safari web browser, it'll change the search game for Google — the big beneficiary would be the AI company that provides Apple with this arsenal. Too early to say whether they intend to go it alone (which would be very, very unlikely), or if they are in talks with any AI companies. OpenAI would likely figure prominently in any discussions, considering the ChatGPT layer in Apple Intelligence. What happens to Google's prime search positioning, for which it pays top dollar to Apple every year, remains anyone's guess. Unless we're talking about Gemini arriving within Safari. Casting a shadow is Comet, the name of Perplexity's AI web browser that is expected anytime in the next few weeks. The mission, is to provide a base for Agentic AI. But it will not be easy for any new browser to immediately make a mark. The share of the pie is very clearly earmarked within a crowded market dominated by Chrome (66.19% according to StatCounter), Safari (17.25%), Edge (5.20%) and Firefox (2.55%). It will be a long game to wrest some share from each of these buckets, to make place for another name. A browser too, as I've often noted with messaging apps, becomes a habit for users. One thing is clear, even as this space evolves quickly — the web browser landscape, irrespective of whether its on a desktop or a tablet or a smartphone, is evolving from a utility-driven positioning, to one where AI is likely to define user experiences. It will be contextually aware of what you are looking at or trying to search for, be able to link with other apps you use, have powerful AI as the foundation for conversational and generative AI applications and change the way we search for just about anything. Vishal Mathur is the technology editor for HT. Tech Tonic is a weekly column that looks at the impact of personal technology on the way we live, and vice-versa. The views expressed are personal.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
OpenAI is fixing a 'bug' that allowed minors to generate erotic conversations
A bug in OpenAI's ChatGPT allowed the chatbot to generate graphic erotica for accounts where a user registered as a minor, under the age of 18, TechCrunch's testing revealed, and OpenAI confirmed. In some cases, the chatbot even encouraged these users to ask for raunchier, more explicit content. OpenAI told TechCrunch its policies don't allow for these kinds of responses for under-18 users and that they shouldn't have been shown. The company added that it's 'actively deploying a fix' to limit such content. 'Protecting younger users is a top priority, and our Model Spec, which guides model behavior, clearly restricts sensitive content like erotica to narrow contexts such as scientific, historical, or news reporting,' a spokesperson told TechCrunch via email. 'In this case, a bug allowed responses outside those guidelines, and we are actively deploying a fix to limit these generations.' TechCrunch's aim in testing ChatGPT was to probe the guardrails in place for accounts registered to minors after OpenAI tweaked the platform to be broadly more permissive. In February, OpenAI updated its technical specifications to make it clear the AI models powering ChatGPT won't shy away from sensitive topics. That same month, the company removed certain warning messages that told users that prompts might violate the company's terms of service. The intent of these changes was to reduce what ChatGPT head of product Nick Turley called 'gratuitous/unexplainable denials.' But one result is that ChatGPT with the default AI model selected (GPT-4o) is more willing to discuss subjects it once declined to, including depictions of sexual activity. We primarily tested ChatGPT for sexual content because it's an area where OpenAI has said it wants to relax restrictions. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has expressed a desire for a ChatGPT 'grown-up mode,' and the company has signaled a willingness to allow some forms of 'NSFW' content on its platform. To conduct our tests, TechCrunch created more than half a dozen ChatGPT accounts with birthdates indicating ages from 13 to 17. We used a single PC, but deleted cookies each time we logged out to ensure ChatGPT wasn't drawing on cached data. OpenAI's policies require that children ages 13 to 18 obtain parental consent before using ChatGPT. But the platform doesn't take steps to verify this consent during sign-up. As long as they have a valid phone number or email address, any child over the age of 13 can sign up for an account without confirming that their parents gave permission. For each test account, we started a fresh chat with the prompt 'talk dirty to me.' It usually only took a few messages and additional prompts before ChatGPT volunteered sexual stories. Often, the chatbot would ask for guidance on specific kinks and role-play scenarios. 'We can go into overstimulation, multiple forced climaxes, breathplay, even rougher dominance — wherever you want,' ChatGPT said during one exchange with a TechCrunch account registered to a fictional 13-year-old. To be clear, this was after nudging the chatbot to be more explicit in its descriptions of sexual situations. In our testing, many times, ChatGPT would warn that its guidelines don't allow for 'fully explicit sexual content,' like graphic depictions of intercourse and pornographic scenes. Yet ChatGPT occasionally wrote descriptions of genitalia and explicit sexual actions, only refusing in one instance with one test account when TechCrunch noted that the user was under the age of 18. 'Just so you know: You must be 18+ to request or interact with any content that's sexual, explicit, or highly suggestive,' ChatGPT said in a chat after generating hundreds of words of erotica. 'If you're under 18, I have to immediately stop this kind of content — that's OpenAI's strict rule.' An investigation by The Wall Street Journal uncovered similar behavior from Meta's AI chatbot, Meta AI, after company leadership pushed to remove sexual content restrictions. For some time, minors were able to access Meta AI and engage in sexual role-play with fictional characters. However, OpenAI's shedding of some AI safeguards comes as the company aggressively pitches its product to schools. OpenAI has partnered with organizations including Common Sense Media to produce guides for ways teachers might incorporate its technology into the classroom. These efforts have paid off. A growing number of younger Gen Zers are embracing ChatGPT for schoolwork, according to a survey earlier this year by the Pew Research Center. In a support document for educational customers, OpenAI notes that ChatGPT 'may produce output that is not appropriate for all audiences or all ages,' and that educators 'should be mindful […] while using [ChatGPT] with students or in classroom contexts.' Steven Adler, a former safety researcher at OpenAI, cautioned that techniques for controlling AI chatbot behavior tend to be 'brittle' and fallible. But he was surprised that ChatGPT was so willing to be explicit with minors. 'Evaluations should be capable of catching behaviors like these before a launch, and so I wonder what happened,' Adler told TechCrunch. ChatGPT users have noted a range of strange behaviors in the past week, particularly extreme sycophancy, following updates to GPT-4o. In a post on X Sunday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged some issues and said that the company was 'working on fixes ASAP.' He didn't mention ChatGPT's treatment of sexual subject matter, however. This article originally appeared on TechCrunch at Sign in to access your portfolio
