Google names Black executive Marian Croak to oversea research of AI ethics

Alphabet Inc’s Google has named Marian Croak, a Black executive, to oversee research on responsible artificial intelligence (AI). The development comes midst weeks of internal anger over a firing of a prominent Black scientist. In a statement Google confirmed that Croak will manage 10 teams, including a dozen scientists studying the ethical considerations of automated…

Alphabet Inc’s Google settles hiring pay bias allegations with $3.8 million

In a statement, the U.S. Department of Labor said Alphabet Inc’s Google will spend $3.8 million, including $2.6 million in back pay, to settle allegations that it unfairly passed over women and Asians for job openings and underpaid women. The allegations stemmed from a routine compliance audit several years ago required by Google’s status as…

Apple moves ahead with self-driving car project, targets production by 2024

According to sources familiar with the matter at hand, Apple Inc is moving ahead with plans on self-driving car technology and is targeting to produce a passenger vehicle by 2024. The self driving passenger vehicle could feature its breakthrough battery technology, said sources familiar with the matter at hand. Apple’s automotive efforts, known as Project…

Indian short video sharing app Josh raises more than 100 million in funding round

An Indian short-video sharing app, Josh, has raised more than $100 million from investors including Microsoft, and Google, in a growing space that further eats into TikTok’s market share. Josh is one of several short video platforms have cropped up after India blocked the Chinese consumer data harvesting app in June. Josh has drawn global…

Google to provide $1.1 Million grans and loans to businesses in MENA regions to improve digital skills

In a statement, Alphabet Inc’s Google said, it plans on providing grants worth $1.1 million to help businesses in the Middle East and North Africa towards improvements of their digital skills as well as to get them connected to the internet. In a presentation, Google said, it will also provide $3 million in loans to…

Amazon Prime Air receives FAA approval to test drone deliveries

In a significant development, Amazon.com Inc, the world’s biggest e-commerce retailer, has received federal approval for testing commercial deliveries through its fleet of drones. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved Amazon Prime Air, Amazon.com Inc’s special service delivering packages in 30 minutes or less, to test delivering orders using autonomous drones. With this…

Tesla’s interactive, millimeter wave radar sensor can help prevent children being left behind in car, boost theft prevention systems

California based Tesla Inc has applied for permission from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to market a short-range interactive motion-sensing device that could help prevent children from being left behind in hot cars. The system could also help improve theft-prevention systems. Tesla aims to get permission for its devices, which will use unlicensed millimeter-wave sensors,…

Australia framing regulatory code of conduct between media outlets and digital platforms, sees revenue sharings from Facebook and Google

On Monday, Australia’s Treasurer Josh Frydenberg disclosed, Canberra will force online giants including Alphabet Inc’s Google and Facebook Inc to share advertising revenue with local media firms. Australia is set to become one of the firts countries to require digital platforms to pay for content that they use. The development comes in the wake of…

Google release location data for 131 countries to assess effectiveness of lockdowns

In a statement, Alphabet Inc said, Google has published reports for 131 countries which show whether stay-at-home measures, to stem the footprint of the Wuhan Coronavirus, adopted by government are working. Google analyzed location data of billions of phone users to create a dataset which health authorities can use to assess if people are abiding…