A conversation with Thomas Friedman about AI

Technology has an unmistakable impact on society — the way we work, learn and play have all changed significantly over the past decade. As SVP of Technology and Society, part of my work at Google is connecting people and ideas to help shape the future of our most ambitious technology and its impact on society, and to do it responsibly.

An important part of that is talking to and learning from experts in a variety of fields and disciplines. Recently I sat down with a brilliant friend, New York Times columnist and author Thomas L. Friedman, to compare notes and discuss some big questions on our minds.

A behind-the-scenes view of Thomas Friedman and James Manyika filming their conversation, with glass windows and greenery from Google's Bay View campus in the background. Thomas, at left, is smiling and facing James, who is motioning with his hands and looking at Thomas. A person operating a camera is filming them in the foreground.

Thomas Friedman and James Manyika in conversation at Google’s Bay View campus.

We had a lot to cover, as it had been a couple of years since our last such in-person conversation due to the pandemic. Much of our discussion focused on AI and how it affects society, but we also discussed what Tom has been observing, how we as a society shape technology, and why we think this moment in time is an inflection point akin to the printing press or the industrial revolution.

To close our conversation, I asked Tom what keeps him optimistic about the future. His answer reinforces my belief that getting technology right is a collective responsibility involving the whole of society — from open, honest conversations like this to better understand the opportunities and challenges, to defining policy, and responsibly creating new and societally-beneficial applications.

I always learn something new when I have these conversations with Tom, and I’m excited to share more insights and dialogues on YouTube soon.

Visit YouTubeto see more of James’ conversation with Thomas Friedman.

Here for a pun time: Meet the punniest Googler

In August 2022, a group of Googlers participated in the third (semi)-annual Arts at Google Pun Competition. They reeled off a cast of fish-themed jokes:

“This category really has me floundering.”

“If you can tune a piano, can you tuna fish?”

“I’m just here for the halibut.”

“Just gonna…perch right here, if that’s OK.”

“I feel like my ears are a little too big, I need to find a plastic sturgeon.”

“That one gave me a haddock.”

Their brains swimming with possibilities, one by one the competitors schooled (and delighted) their fellow Googlers with clever wordplay. The goal was to get the most eyerolls, groans and cheers.

The Google pun competition began in 2017. It grew out of an improv class hosted by Arts at Google, a workplace program to create spaces for Googlers to explore creativity through classes and workshops. Anna Botelho, who’s part of the Real Estate and Workplace team, started Arts at Google as a side project in 2011. “People were looking for ways to take a quick break to reset or re-energize themselves with creative outlets,” says Anna, who majored in music in college. The program grew over the years; today Googlers can, say, join a 90-person orchestra or try bookbinding courses.

There’s also the aforementioned improv class, which inspired the pun competition, both led by Arts at Google program manager Lindsay Alford and extended workforce member Maurissa Afanador. After its debut in 2017, the pun competition returned in 2019 and went on hiatus during 2020 and 2021; August 2022 marked its return.

This year, 16 contestants battled for punny glory in two rounds. In the first, the contestants went up to the mic round robin-style and each had one minute to come up with two fish-related puns. (They didn’t know the round topics beforehand.)

When the first round was up, the audience voted on who moved on by holding up color-coded cards to indicate which two players (who wore colored lanyards) should advance. Four punsters progressed to the second and final round; those who were eliminated joined the audience.

The final round, Maurissa (who also hosts the competition) says, is always “where it gets really impressive.” This time, the audience didn’t judge — the final four participants simply punned and punned and punned until they could pun no more. “They went until exhaustion,” Maurissa says. The round continued for nearly 30 minutes, with the last two participants punning back and forth for the final five.

The second-round topic was flowers. Neil Hendin, this year’s winner, describes himself as “cognitively exhausted” by the end of the contest. “I’m going to credit my wife for the win, because her name is IdaRose and she’s an avid gardener,” says Neil, a Bay Area-based hardware engineering manager. Doing well in the pun competition is about riffing on the fly but also having a backlog of information to work from, he says: “In my head, I was walking around our garden, remembering names of flowers.” His favorite of his puns from the round? “I made an AI to generate flower names. I call it ‘hiya-synth.’”

The pun competition and the improv class that sparked it have an impact beyond a trophy and bragging rights. Tyler Sellmayer, a Google engineer based in the Bay Area and 2022 pun competition participant, was able to lean on two punny friends for coaching. “They do puns all the time, and they would destroy me, they would make hundreds and hundreds of them and it would never end,” he says. But in trying to keep up with them, it worked the “pun” muscle. Soon enough, Tyler found himself on stage at the 2019 pun competition — which he went on to win.

“Doing something as silly as making puns, saying things that get eyerolls but also cheers, it’s very validating,” Tyler says. “It shows me that I don’t have to walk on eggshells all the time, I don’t have to carefully measure everything I say.” That realization has been monumental — his time as the contest’s champ was just the pun-derful cherry on top.

4 ways to use Google Wallet around the world

When we launched Google Wallet earlier this year, we wanted to give as many people as possible access to a secure digital wallet. So today we’re bringing it to 12 more countries, making Wallet available in 57 countries total.

Text reads “Find Google Wallet in your corner of the world” and shows both a map and list of the 57 countries where Google Wallet is available.

We’ve already seen how handy it’s been in all the usual places you'd use a digital wallet — plus some others, like attending concerts with friends. Let’s look at four different ways you can use Google Wallet around the world.

  1. Make quick, secure payments from your watch: Last month we added Wallet to the Google Pixel Watch so you can easily make contactless payments. And starting today, anyone with a Fitbit Sense 2 or Versa 4 can pay with just a tap of their wrist.
  2. Tap and pay on public transit: If you’re one of the millions of people who commute by public transportation, you can use Wallet to tap and pay in hundreds of cities around the world. In Japan, we recently added support for PASMO on mobile devices and launched Suica on the Google Pixel Watch.
  3. Save mobile tickets for events and shows: We’re partnering with many companies — including Ticketmaster, Thaiticketmajor in Thailand, Cinemaxx in Germany and Ticketek, Humanitix and Oztix in Australia — so Android users can add mobile event tickets to their Wallet. My daughters are big Taylor Swift fans, so I’ll be trying out this feature for her tour next year.
  4. Access boarding passes: There’s so much to keep track of before a flight. So we partner with airlines like AirAsia, Air France, China Air, Ryanair and United Airlines to help travelers easily save and access their mobile boarding passes in Wallet. You can even save multiple boarding passes if you’re traveling with family or friends. Pro tip: To quickly add your boarding pass, just take a screenshot of it on your Pixel phone and tap “Add to Google Wallet.”

These are just some ways you can use Google Wallet throughout your day. As Wallet expands to more places around the world, look out for even more features to easily access what you need.

Meet The YouTube Black Voices Creator, Artist, Singer and Songwriter Class of 2023


We believe in the power and importance of amplifying Black stories. From content centered around fashion and wellness, to videos about comedy and politics, Black creators and artists continue to play an important role in shaping the culture of YouTube and driving the platform forward every day. That’s why, in 2020, we created the YouTube Black Voices Fund, a global, multi-year commitment to center and grow Black creators and artists on our platform, as well as to produce and acquire new YouTube Original programs, focused on racial justice and Black experiences.


As part of this Fund, we developed the YouTube Black Voices grant program, an initiative dedicated to equipping Black creators and artists with the resources to thrive on YouTube. Our first two classes have launched short films, topped Billboard charts, been nominated for and won Grammy Awards and so much more.


Today, we’re pleased to announce that the YouTube Black Voices Class of 2023 is here! It’s our biggest class yet with 179 grantees, hailing from around the world and innovating in every way. Meet the class below, discover your new fav creator, and keep an eye out for all of the exciting content they’ll create in 2023.


 


We’re honored to equip the talented creatives with resources to fuel their creativity. In the coming months, we will work closely with these creators by offering dedicated partner support from YouTube and seed funding to help them develop their channels and grow on our platform. They will also have opportunities to participate in bespoke training, workshops, and networking programs.


We built the YouTube Black Voices Fund to invest with an intention to present fresh narratives that emphasize the intellectual power, authenticity, dignity, and joy of Black voices, as well as to educate audiences about racial justice. This initiative also includes investing in the impact of our platform, and over the program, we've directly empowered more than 500 creators and artists from across the world to support, grow, and fund their channels and content development. In addition to the YouTube Black Voices Fund grantees who partner with YouTube directly, we’ll continue to support and connect with the wider global Black diaspora and communities through a wide range of programming and events.


The YouTube Black Voices Fund is only one facet of the comprehensive work currently underway to make YouTube a place where Black artists, creators, and users can feel empowered to share their stories. We continue to make product and policy changes to meet that goal and recently provided an update on our work to make YouTube a more inclusive platform, including how we handle harmful and hateful comments.


We can’t wait for you to hear more from the Class of 2023 as they continue embarking on their journeys as creators and artists, sharing their stories and their music!



Below is our full list of the #YouTubeBlackVoices 2023 creator class from Sub-Saharan Africa.

  1. 234 Drive   |     234drive    

  2. Agatha Nkirote    |     Agatha Nkirote        

  3. Banele Ndaba     |      Moghelingz    

  4. Caleb Orem     |     Ruthless Focus      

  5. Clarissa Magunde    |    Coffeenomilk       

  6. Dennis Akpan  |  Denixx Kreatives        

  7. Eniola Olanrewaju  |  Korty Eo 

  8. Happy Osereme Egbor   |    Stylebyreme        

  9. Gina Ehikodi Ojo    |      Foodies And Spice

  10. Ifeyinwa Mogekwu        Ify's Kitchen

  11. Izzi Boye    |    Izzi Boye       

  12. Joanne Wanja     |    Diy With Jojo

  13. Juliet Kane     |     Kane’s Kitchen Affair

  14. Kate  Wanjiku    |     Kate Kendy      

  15. Kelechi Anyanwu    |    Chantel Anyanwu        

  16. Latifat Omowunmi Kilani   |    Pot Of Flavours     

  17. Louis Ihuefo    |    Louis Ihuefo     

  18. Maryam Apaokagi-Greene    |    Taaooma’s Cabin   

  19. Martin Kihara        African Real Estate      

  20. Matlala Mokgehle      |    Zillewizzy   

  21. Millicent Mashile And Innocent Sadiki     |    Centtwinz TV

  22. Muzikayifani Sambo      |     Muzi Sambo        

  23. Mzwandile And Siza Ndlovu     |     Mzwandile & Siza      

  24. Olive Nkirote      |     Onr        

  25. Oluebube Belonwu     |   Bof Games        

  26. Oluwafemi Olaniyan   |   Femi Olaniyan        

  27. Oyisa Matebese     |     Ohsmallstuff    

  28. Perseverance Maremeni     |    Madam Speaker  

  29. Reginald Mohlabi      |    Reggie Mohlabi  

  30. Seithati Letsipa        Seithati Letsipa    

  31. Thulile Dlamuka       |    Thuli Madlamuka       

  32. Tokoni Iderima     |   Football Fans Tribe     

  33. Tumelo Moliko     |     Tumi Moliko   

  34. Tsoanelo Moyo     |     Tsoanieskits       

  35. Sebastian Ngida     |    Kenyan Entrepreneur

  36. Segun Oladapo-Ogunsanya    |    Kagan        

  37. Solina  Naidoo     |     Perima’s Kitchen        

  38. Sinikiwe Kademaunga     |    Sinikiwe Kademaunga        

  39. Susan Muriithi    |     Suzyshomestead

  40. Wongel Haile    |     Wongel Zelalem




    Posted by Alex Okosi, Managing Director, Emerging Markets, YouTube

    ==== 

    A Premium night’s rest with Google Pixel Watch

    While everyone has different sleep needs and routines, there are clear patterns that we all fall into. After a decade of analyzing over 22 billion hours of sleep data and 1.87 million sleep logs, we wanted to share what we’ve found to not only help you learn more about your sleep, but give you the information and tools to make it better. That’s why we're bringing Fitbit Premium’s Sleep Profile to the Google Pixel Watch, giving you more ways to understand your sleep information, get more insight into your sleep style over time – including how your routines and actions impact sleep – and find ways to improve to (hopefully) get a better night’s rest.

    Now, Premium members can access their Sleep Profile in the Fitbit app with Google Pixel Watch in addition to Fitbit devices.[3a9a04]The monthly analysis takes into account 10 different aspects of sleep — including sleep duration, bedtime consistency and disrupted sleep — to provide a complete picture of your sleep patterns and habits. All these insights determine your sleep animal, which represents what type of sleeper you were that month. For example, a giraffe, the most common type of sleeper (22.8% of users), is someone who doesn’t get a lot of sleep but sleeps solidly when they do. You’ll also get a detailed analysis of how your sleep patterns compare to someone of a similar age and gender, so you can see where you may want to improve.

    If you wore your Google Pixel Watch to sleep for at least 14 nights in October, you will receive your first Sleep Profile and animal on November 22. If you start wearing your watch to bed today, you’ll get your results for the month of November on December 1.

    Since it launched earlier this year, we’ve released 6.35 million profiles to our users, showing us some interesting trends (July-November 2022). People who use Sleep Profile are most successful at hitting the ideal range of "Time Before Sound Sleep" (52%), REM sleep (49.7%) and deep sleep (49.5%). But they are the least successful at hitting the ideal range of "Nights with Long Awakenings" and "Sleep Schedule Variability" (14.6% and 23.2% respectively). The most common areas of improvement are Days with Naps (61.2%), Sleep Schedule Variability (52.7%) and Restorative Sleep (45.6%).

    Sleep Profile is part of Fitbit Premium, which helps you better understand your body to take charge of your overall wellness. Every day, tens of thousands of people complete Premium sessions, from mindfulness exercises to cardio boxing, and taking advantage of personalized analytics and insights. Here are some tools you can try in Premium today:

    • Optimize your day with Daily Readiness Score: This feature uses a variety of metrics to give you a daily score (1-100), helping you understand if your body is ready for a workout or if you should prioritize recovery instead.
    • Break a sweat: Stay motivated and keep your fitness routine fun and fresh with access to more than 1,000 workouts from Fitbit trainers and your favorite brands like Aaptiv, barre3, Cyclebar, LES MILLS, obé and Row House.
    • Keep a pulse on your stress: Receive a breakdown of your Stress Management Score with info on metrics like heart rate, heart rate variability, sleep patterns and activity impact.
    • Take a mindful minute: Try hundreds of different mindfulness sessions from brands you love including Aura, Breethe, Calm and Ten Percent Happier to help reduce stress, relax and improve your sleep.

    You can also check out Sleep Profile and other Fitbit Premium features on all our latest products, including Sense 2, Versa 4 and Inspire 3 — available at Fitbit.com, the Google Store and select global retailers.

    Four ways to share your values with shoppers

    Today's shoppers are increasingly looking for businesses that share their values. According to a recent global study, purpose-driven buyers now make up the largest segment of consumers, with 44% choosing products and brands based on how well they align with their values.

    If you’re a business owner who prioritizes values such as sustainability, you can let your customers know you care. Many are already using Business Profile attributes on Search and Maps to showcase their commitment to social change.

    Dev Channel Update for ChromeOS

    The Dev channel is being updated to 109.0.5412.2 (Platform version: 15236.2.0) for most ChromeOS devices. This build contains a number of bug fixes and security updates.

    If you find new issues, please let us know one of the following ways

    Interested in switching channels? Find out how.


    Matt Nelson,
    Google ChromeOS

    Long Term Support Channel Update for ChromeOS

    LTS-102 is being updated in the LTS channel to 102.0.5005.185 (Platform Version: 14695.148.0) for most ChromeOS devices. Want to know more about Long-term Support? Click here.


    This update contains Security fixes, including:

    1369882 High CVE-2022-3450 Use after free in Peer Connection
    1364662 High CVE-2022-3449 Use after free in Safe Browsing



    Giuliana Pritchard

    Google Chrome OS

    Inside Google Korea’s new accessible office space

    I don’t think I’ll ever forget the feeling of walking through the newly opened 28th floor of Google Korea. The space has been reimagined with a focus on “universal design” — meaning it was designed to be accessible to people of all abilities.

    The idea for this space started a few years ago, when I was talking to other members of the Disability Alliance Employee Resource Group (ERG) in Korea about their web accessibility project— a conversation that then shifted to improving accessible design in the office. Was our office truly as accessible as it could be? Did everyone feel that they could do their best work without any restrictions due to their abilities? We pinpointed some areas for improvement, and that sparked a desire to make a change.

    The Disability Alliance then partnered with Google's Real Estate & Workplace Services team to explore how we could implement some of these changes, especially as we expanded our space in Gangnam. Bit by bit, we made improvements to our existing office space, from adding braille to meeting room signs to adding drop-down thresholds for doors.

    And when we had the opportunity to influence a brand new floor, we embraced the concept of universal design to co-design alongside the REWS team. Throughout the whole process, we incorporated feedback and co-designed with many people in our community— including Inho, a software engineer with a visual impairment. The design team made all designs and plans available in braille, so that anyone who was visually impaired could still review them.

    Seeing our carefully thought out plans begin to take shape was incredible. Finally stepping into the finished space took my breath away, and I was so excited just thinking of how this could help so many of our colleagues thrive.

    But don’t just take my word for it! Take a look at these four design details, and why they make such a difference.

    We’re proud of how we've applied universal design principles in Google Korea, but we know this isn’t the end of the journey. In fact, I like to think that we’re just getting started. We’re constantly learning and seeking to understand the needs of all people — that’s how we can develop solutions that enable everyone to succeed.

    Platform Track at Android Developer Summit ’22

    Posted by Dan Galpin (@dagalpin), Developer Relations EngineerToday marks the final track for Android Developer Summit: the Platform Track, focused on developer features and guidance around Android 13. With your help, we're making the platform more private and secure, more personal, and more capable than ever. Tune into the livestream and watch the full playlist on YouTube! And if you’ve got any burning questions, be sure to Tweet them using #AskAndroid; at the end of our livestream, we’ll be assembling the Android experts to help answer them live; tune in at 12:30PM to see if we answer your question live! Here are the top 3 takeaways from the Platform track, and be sure to watch the full Platform session playlist on YouTube:

    #1 – Security and Privacy

    The first step to take advantage of Android 13's new security and privacy features is to Migrate Your Apps to Android 13, making sure that your app not only works great but also takes advantage of some of the new stuff Android 13 has to offer. We also cover what's Next Up on the Privacy Sandbox, Everything about Storage on Android, Demystifying Attestation, and how to Foster User Trust by Adopting Privacy-respecting Permission Workflows.The Photo Picker is an example of an easy to use API that gives users a great photo and video selection experience while minimizing app permissions. The rich Photo Picker experience will be supported back to Android 11 using an SDK Extension, a technology that uses Google System Updates with Modular System Components to add functionality to an OS release.
    Photo Picker
Easy to integrate
A great user experience for browsing and selecting photos and videos
No runtime permissions
Updated independently of the platform
Cloud integration coming soon!

    #2 – Personalization

    When it comes to personalization, we teach Building for a Multilingual World, Building Modern Android App WidgetsDesigning a High Quality App with the Latest Android Features, and Building Accessibility Support for Compose — all ways that help make sure that your apps support the way your users use their devices.

    Themed app icons allow your app icon to harmonize with user-selected theme colors, while Widgets allow users to literally use your app as part of their customized experience.
    Themed app icons
App icons in supported launchers are tinted to inherit theme colors.
Requires apps to have both an adaptive icon and a monochromatic app icon

    #3 – Capabilities

    We're extending the capabilities of the platform to support the latest media and communications standards and more, so we're walking you through Presenting a High-quality Media Experience for all Users, Improving Your Social Experience Quality with Android Camera, how to handle Capture, Playback, and Sharing 10BIT Video, supporting BLE Audio in your Voice Communications Applications, an Introduction to Ultrawide-band on Android, the latest in Android Graphics, how to start Syncing Data with Health Connect, and implementing Hardware Acceleration for ML on-device. We even shared how to Migrate to Play Billing Library 5 and what it does to make subscriptions more flexible on Google Play.

    To learn more about how you can secure your app, maximize user privacy, make your app part of a more personal Android, leverage new platform capabilities, and more, check out the full playlist.