Google Unveils A.I. Agent That Can Use Websites on Its Own
The New York Times
The experimental tool can browse spreadsheets, shopping sites and other services, before taking action on behalf of the computer user.
Today, chatbots can answer questions, write poems and generate images. In the future, they could also autonomously perform tasks like online shopping and work with tools like spreadsheets.
Google on Wednesday unveiled a prototype of this technology, which artificial intelligence researchers call an A.I. agent.
Google is among the many tech companies building A.I. agents. Various A.I. start-ups, including OpenAI and Anthropic, have unveiled similar prototypes that can use software apps, websites and other online tools.
Google’s new prototype, called Mariner, is based on Gemini 2.0, which the company also unveiled on Wednesday. Gemini is the core technology that underpins many of the company’s A.I. products and research experiments. Versions of the system will power the company’s chatbot of the same name and A.I. Overviews, a Google search tool that directly answers user questions.
“We’re basically allowing users to type requests into their web browser and have Mariner take actions on their behalf,” Jaclyn Konzelmann, a Google project manager, said in an interview with The New York Times.
General Motors and other foreign automakers are selling fewer cars and losing lots of money in China, where domestic electric and hybrid cars have taken off.
Pat Gelsinger stepped down after nearly four years at the helm of the onetime highflying company, Intel said Monday.
Pat Gelsinger stepped down after nearly four years at the helm of the onetime highflying company, Intel said Monday.
New rules prohibit the sale of certain types of chips and equipment to China, in an effort to close loopholes and cement the Biden administration’s legacy in countering the U.S. rival.
The company, facing slumping sales, announced that Carlos Tavares would step down immediately and that a search for a new chief was underway.
Business owners say card transaction fees are a growing monthly expense, one often passed to consumers. They’re cheering efforts to lower them.
Data on spending this week shows consumers are being drawn to discounts. Online Black Friday sales picked up at a faster pace this year than in-store shopping, Mastercard reported.