Google is leveraging its AI expertise to improve its search engine's capabilities. AFP
Google is leveraging its AI expertise to improve its search engine's capabilities. AFP
Google is leveraging its AI expertise to improve its search engine's capabilities. AFP
Google is leveraging its AI expertise to improve its search engine's capabilities. AFP

Google to introduce search 1,000 times more powerful than current engine


Alvin R Cabral
  • English
  • Arabic

Google has announced a more powerful search engine technology that combines search criteria for more accurate and tailor-made results, as it seeks to leverage its artificial intelligence expertise to streamline user experience and maintain its hold on web traffic.

The company unveiled the platform at its Search On '21 event, during which Google executives discussed how their AI developments aim to make information on the web more useful while curbing the spread of misinformation.

"There’s more information accessible at people’s fingertips than at any point in human history. And advances in artificial intelligence will radically transform the way we use that information, with the ability to uncover new insights that can help us both in our daily lives and in the ways we are able to tackle complex global challenges," Prabhakar Raghavan, a senior vice president at Google, said.

Google is seeking to claw back and retain market share, particularly in the shopping space, as more users are bypassing its search engine to directly access platforms.

It has already lost the top spot to Amazon as more people now directly shop from the e-commerce company's platform. For Apple users, a search can simply be done by executing a voice command to its AI assistant Siri.

“The consumer will shop where convenience, ease of finding products and product availability is most satisfactory. Search features that facilitate the best experience will be a draw for consumers – number of clicks to order fulfilment and returns processes will be a factor," Leslie Hand, group vice-president at IDC Retail and Financial Insights, told The National on Thursday.

"Google and various retailers have marketplaces that compete with Amazon, Alibaba, Lazada and others around the world.”

The Covid-19 pandemic caused a major shift in consumer preferences and accelerated the shift to digital as homebound users increasingly turned online to shop, keep entertained and work. A recent PwC survey showed that 44 per cent of consumers shop using a smartphone, with 42 per cent saying they use voice assistants at home.

Google teased the MUM technology during its annual I/O summit last May. It uses its so-called T5 - Text-To-Text Transfer Transformer - framework and is said to be 1,000 times more powerful than the Bert (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) technology the company currently uses.

The revamped search technology, using the company's image-recognition tool Google Lens, will combine data from text, images and even videos, which would then provide more accurate and tailor-made results. Lens has been updated with new AI-powered language features that will narrow searches further.

"For example, when you search for 'cropped jackets', we’ll show you a visual feed of jackets in various colours and styles, alongside other helpful information like local shops, style guides and videos," Bill Ready, president of commerce, payments and next billion users at Google, said.

The consumer will shop where convenience, ease of finding products and product availability is most satisfactory. Search features that facilitate the best experience will be a draw for consumers – number of clicks to order fulfilment and returns processes will be a factor
Leslie Hand,
group vice-president at IDC Retail and Financial Insights

"From there, you can easily filter your search by style, department, brand and more – and when you find something you like, you can check out ratings, reviews and even compare prices to get the best deal."

A 'Lens mode' option will be added to the Google app on Apple's iOS. It will, however, be initially available only in the US, with a global roll-out thereafter.

The company also wooed prospective users last year by allowing businesses to list their products and services for free on Google Shopping. The platform had charged certain fees since 2012.

Other features introduced by Google to stay more relevant in search, include a new 'wildfire layer' on its Maps application, as forest fires become more common globally due to climate change. The feature gives users up-to-date details about multiple fires at once, with links to relevant government and emergency response services.

The 'About This Result' feature has also been given additional options, including more information about sources and what other users have said about sites, in a bid to combat misinformation.

Tips to keep your car cool
  • Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
  • Park in shaded or covered areas
  • Add tint to windows
  • Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
  • Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
  • Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat

Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cp%3EName%3A%20DarDoc%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Samer%20Masri%2C%20Keswin%20Suresh%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%24800%2C000%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Flat6Labs%2C%20angel%20investors%20%2B%20Incubated%20by%20Hub71%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi's%20Department%20of%20Health%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2010%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Paris%20Agreement
%3Cp%3EArticle%2014%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E1.%20%5BThe%20Cop%5D%20shall%20periodically%20take%20stock%20of%20the%20implementation%20of%20this%20Agreement%20to%20assess%20the%20collective%20progress%20towards%20achieving%20the%20purpose%20of%20this%20Agreement%20and%20its%20long-term%20goals%20(referred%20to%20as%20the%20%22global%20stocktake%22)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E2.%20%5BThe%20Cop%5D%20shall%20undertake%20its%20first%20global%20stocktake%20in%202023%20and%20every%20five%20years%20thereafter%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mental%20health%20support%20in%20the%20UAE
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UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The cost of Covid testing around the world

Egypt

Dh514 for citizens; Dh865 for tourists

Information can be found through VFS Global.

Jordan

Dh212

Centres include the Speciality Hospital, which now offers drive-through testing.

Cambodia

Dh478

Travel tests are managed by the Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health.

Zanzibar

AED 295

Zanzibar Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, located within the Lumumba Secondary School compound.

Abu Dhabi

Dh85

Abu Dhabi’s Seha has test centres throughout the UAE.

UK

From Dh400

Heathrow Airport now offers drive through and clinic-based testing, starting from Dh400 and up to Dh500 for the PCR test.

How does ToTok work?

The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store

To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.

The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.

Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Details

Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5 

Who was Peter Glaser?
  • Dr Peter Glaser was a Czech-born space tech pioneer who moved to the United States in 1948 where he studied mechanical engineering at Columbia.
  • He is best known as the inventor of the Solar Power Satellite, a concept which he presented in the journal Science in 1968 under the title Power from the Sun: It’s Future.
  • Five years later, he was granted a US patent to supply power from space, however it was considered too large to launch economically from Earth.
  • It was suggested it could be constructed in space, using lunar and asteroid materials, by a team permanently based in space, but it was never put into practice.
  • He was project manager for the Apollo 11 ‘Laser Ranging Retroflecter Array’ which was installed on the moon in 1969.
  • He served on several Nasa committees and was inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame in 1996.
  • He died in 2014, aged 87
The specs

Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic

Power: 375bhp

Torque: 520Nm

Price: Dh332,800

On sale: now

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

Updated: October 02, 2021, 8:56 AM`