msg newsletter: IT news – May 2024

Author: Zuzana Kocáková

Digitization

29. 05. 2024 10 reading minutes

Once again we bring you a summary of IT news from the last month. In this issue, we cover various Google products, for example, AI is coming to Google maps. Microsoft Edge dubs video into another language in real time using artificial intelligence. A new version of ChatGPT’s AI 4-o is out, and so is AI of Mozilla Firefox.

YouTube will start showing ads even when video is paused.

Video platform YouTube plans to introduce new ads that will appear when a video is paused. The move follows a series of changes to display ads, including a ban on ad blockers and a modifications to the ad skip button. The new pause ads are already being tested on smart TVs and YouTube plans to extend them to mobile apps and the web interface. Testing has yielded positive results and it is expected that this form of advertising will be extended to other regions and facilities. Source : https://www.androidauthority.com/youtube-pause-ads-3437531/

Google Play has published protection statistics for 2023

2023 was a breakthrough year for Google Play in terms of user safety and security. The Google Play Store has made a significant contribution to securing apps and protecting user privacy with Play Protect. According to statistics released by Google, more than 2.28 million malicious apps were blocked in 2023, making the space safer for users. In addition, Google blocked the accounts of 333 000 developers who were breaking the rules or creating apps with malware. Google Play also rejected around 200 000 requests to add apps that asked for sensitive permissions, such as access to SMS or device location in the background, preventing potential privacy breaches. New security measures include scanning apps downloaded from other sources and providing information about secure VPN services. Source : https://www.androidpolice.com/google-play-store-malicious-apps-2023-report

Microsoft Passkey – secure authentication without passwords

Microsoft is introducing new Passkey technology to replace traditional passwords and increase the security of user accounts. Passkey uses a pair of cryptographic keys, one of which is stored on Microsoft’s servers and the other on the user’s device, protected by biometrics or a PIN. This approach reduces the risk of password attacks, which have increased significantly in recent years. Microsoft also supports two-factor authentication through Microsoft Authenticator, providing a higher level of protection and comfort. Passkey technology makes it easy and secure to log in without the need to remember complex passwords. Source : https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2024/05/02/microsoft-introduces-passkeys-for-consumer-accounts/

AI is coming to Google Maps

Google Maps comes with long-awaited AI-based features, including more accurate search with an emphasis on context, ranking of top places and locating places of interest with photos and comments. Powered by Gemini’s generative AI, these innovations promise an improved user experience, though they are currently only available in the US. They are also expected to spread to Europe, but the exact date is not yet known. Source : https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/14/google-gemini-capabilities-google-maps-platform/

TikTok will tag AI content

TikTok becomes the next platform to commit to better tagging content created with AI. This social network will use technologies from Microsoft and Adobe to automatically tag such content with specific metadata. The planned introduction of the new tagging is expected in the upcoming weeks and is intended to help users recognize which videos have been created by AI. The move is intended to contribute to a more transparent and secure environment on TikTok and to help users make decisions about the content they receive. Source : https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/partnering-with-our-industry-to-advance-ai-transparency-and-literacy

Google upgrades search with AI insights

During the Google I/O 2024 conference, Google announced new artificial intelligence (AI) search features to improve the user experience. The new search will include AI Overviews that provide answers to questions directly within the search results. These answers will be based on information on various websites, allowing users to quickly access relevant information. This feature is currently available in the US and is planned to be expanded to other countries. Google’s focus on providing factual answers is the main difference between AI search and standard chatbots. AI Overviews offer three types of answers, including a standard answer, shortened versions, and more detailed answers to meet different user needs. Source : https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/14/24155321/google-search-ai-results-page-gemini-overview

ChatGPT will be trained on Reddit data

OpenAI has partnered with Reddit to enhance the intelligence of their ChatGPT chatbot and bring new capabilities to Reddit users. Reddit will serve as a database for ChatGPT’s training, allowing it to learn from users’ natural language. This should lead to more accurate and relevant results. In addition, new AI features are also expected on the Reddit side itself, including personal recommendations and additional options for users and moderators. The partnership also guarantees the protection of personal data and requires users’ consent for any commercial use of the data. Source : https://www.androidauthority.com/reddit-openai-deal-3444218/

Microsoft Edge dubs video to another language in real time

Microsoft has introduced a new feature for the Edge browser that uses artificial intelligence to translate the dubbing of foreign videos. This innovation will support videos in English and Spanish from various sources such as YouTube, LinkedIn or Bloomberg. Microsoft has revealed that the new page translation module will not only allow subtitle translation, but also dubbing, which could lead to a better experience for viewers. Although this feature only supports certain languages for now, there are plans to extend it to other languages in the future. Source : https://www.pcworld.com/article/2336414/microsoft-edge-will-dub-streamed-video-with-ai-translated-audio.html

New revolutionary ChatGPT – 4.0

With the launch of the GPT-4o, OpenAI brings an enhancement to its signature product, ChatGPT. The new model, which will be available for free to all users, is much faster and extends its capabilities to text, images and audio. GPT- 4.0 is also multimodal, meaning it can generate content or understand commands in voice, text or images. Developers will have access to an API that is more affordable and faster than previous versions. In addition, new features are also coming to the ChatGPT voice mode, which will be able to respond in real time and interact with the outside world. OpenAI’s Altman indicated that the company’s goal now is to provide advanced AI models through paid APIs for developers, opening up the possibility of creating a variety of applications using these technologies. Source : https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/13/24155493/openai-gpt-4o-launching-free-for-all-chatgpt-users

Mozilla Firefox unveils its plans

Mozilla has announced plans to implement new features in Firefox, including tab grouping and a new profile system. It also focuses on making page loading more efficient and increasing battery savings on the mobile version. It has also committed to protecting user privacy and adding support for NVIDIA RTX Video Super Resolution technology. Although the use of AI is planned, Mozilla emphasizes caution in its implementation. The new version of Firefox 126 adds a trackless copy feature to improve user privacy when browsing the web. Source:https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/here-s-what-we-re-working-on-in-firefox/td-p/57694Autor: Jozef Wagner, Java Developer Senior at msg life Slovakia

Share article

msg newsletter: IT news – May 2024

Zuzana Kocáková

At msg life Slovakia I take care of the company culture, events and I am part of the marketing team. I like a job where I can be creative and contribute to making my colleagues at msg feel good. I regularly prepare for you not only news and interesting things from the world of information technology and insurance, but also from behind the scenes events at msg life Slovakia.