Two things immediately came to mind when I read this weekend’s bombshell report The information about Google working on an AI model that can essentially ‘take over’ your Chrome browser and perform tasks on your behalf, such as booking a flight or purchasing a product.
My first reaction was to congratulate myself on ditching Chrome (because I need a technology monopoly that invades privacy and performs tasks on my behalf as if I need a hole in my head). My thoughts then went back to the shock I recently experienced when I opened my Google Calendar, looking for some specific detail about the vacation I’m going on soon. I don’t use Google Calendar by choice, but that’s not the case. neither here nor there.
I’m flying out of Memphis for my trip and connecting through Denver, but I had a wave of panic when I saw that I was listed on Google Calendar as flying out of Orlando International Airport instead of Memphis, and then through Denver connect.
A quick check of my confirmation emails revealed that everything was fine and that I had not accidentally purchased a ticket that took me to the Sunshine State. It was just a matter of Google, being Google. I bring that up because my experience using any Google product over the past year or more has been exactly this: I’ve found Google to be less reliable when it comes to the tasks I need it for.
Google Search, as we all know, is hopelessly broken. More than ever, emails that I really need are randomly directed to Gmail’s spam folder. There’s ridiculous and easy-to-find spam all over Google Maps. The AI statements should always be double checked as they are full of inaccuracies.
It’s all thanks to the fact that Google is so obsessed with AI and with bug- and clutter-filled automation that the company once widely regarded as an “organizer of the world’s information” is perfectly fine with doing it all what is needed to avoid being seen as a lagging organization. the AI revolution. In fact, Google is so obsessed with AI, to the detriment of its core business, that its new AI model that can reportedly take over your browser (codenamed Project Jarvis and powered by an upcoming version of Google’s Gemini) actually raises a big question. related to privacy:
If an AI model can actually perform entire tasks and transactions for you, won’t that impact Google’s core business of advertising? This means that if the AI is doing everything, you can just step away and make a cup of coffee without having to be glued to a screen – a screen where you would otherwise see ads and potentially engage with them.
So let me see if I got this right. Much of the public doesn’t want or is skeptical of AI, and this sort of thing also seems potentially damaging to Google’s business. But, you know, full speed ahead, anyway – they can’t let Sam Altman win, or something like that.
Frankly, not only does this whole thing continue to baffle me, but I remain convinced that a day of reckoning will come, and the AI bubble will eventually burst in truly spectacular fashion. Gartner recently predicted, to take just one example, that 30% of current generative AI projects will be abandoned by 2025.
As for Google’s new AI model, no one is That it’s busy that they need an AI to buy their plane ticket (and it’s not like you’re not going to check all the details afterwards anyway, which defeats the purpose). I especially don’t want Google’s AI to do that on my behalf, because it clearly can’t even properly scan a ticket confirmation email in its own Gmail product to display the correct airport code in my Google Calendar.
There’s a reason why “Google” is no longer a verb for Gen Z. Why younger internet users are flocking to products from various companies that, wait for it, work correctly. This is what happens when management types take control of a company and revenue retention becomes more important than quality and usability. At that point, the story you tell the world becomes more important than doing many little things right – small but crucial things that add up to the important service that people used to love you for.
