Google reaffirmed its commitment to making AI useful for business. Use of AI The event took place in Cape Town and aimed to enlighten businesses on the utility and benefits of adopting Google's AI model, Gemini, to scale their business in the ever-changing environment.
The event discussed the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in various industries, including marketing, healthcare, tourism, etc. Speakers discussed the importance of minimizing fears of AI and broadening people's perspective on its potential. They also highlighted AI's unique capabilities, such as multimodal responses.
Google said it is committed to helping African businesses use AI to improve operational efficiency and achieve their commercial goals. Yvette Baez, AI business strategist at Google, succinctly explained the company's AI philosophy:
“AI has quickly gone from a fascinating concept to a powerful asset for businesses. AI's ability to stimulate economic growth and create unprecedented opportunities is undeniable. No longer limited to text-based interactions, AI will deliver information through visual, auditory and even video formats, providing a multi-sensory experience. That's why our work in this space is focused on responsibly building helpful products and platforms that help businesses improve and overcome their most pressing challenges: making static information useful.” Baez says.
Read also: How Google's new AI tool, Gemini, works
In particular, Baez introduced the acronym WINS (Words, Pictures, Numbers, Sounds) to illustrate the versatility of AI. “When you think about the possible applications of AI through each of these four areas, you can start to think about the possibilities of using AI in your everyday life,” she explained. Examples of such images include planning a trip or understanding a culture.
At the event, the Google team announced expanded access to AI models such as Vertex AI's Gemini 1.5 Pro for cloud customers and developers, and Open Model Gemma, designed to help customers with different types of code.
“We are incredibly excited about the possibilities and future that AI holds for us, and we are sharing examples of local brands and marketers who are doing a great job of adopting and adapting both predictive and generative AI for their business purposes.” She added:
Additionally, Gemini for Google Workspace enhancements across Gmail, Meet and Chat services now enable AI to access and process information to provide summaries, answer questions and generate content based on personal documents.
In addition to Workspace data, Gemini can now pull data from a range of Google services including flights, hotels, maps and YouTube, which is helpful for business executives looking to get promoted.
These give business owners the opportunity to work with a collaborative creative partner who can help them make faster business decisions and improve performance. Gemini can be used to perform a variety of tasks, including research and information gathering, writing and content creation, operations and management, business strategy and planning, marketing and sales, and more.
Gemini's richness is also reflected in its easy conversational capabilities. AI solutions now use prompts differently than the questions you ask in search. Gemini embraces prompting as both a science and an art, and can present responses with sights, sounds, images, and videos.
Upgrading Gemini Code Assist will also help customers write code more efficiently and identify and resolve security threats.
Additionally, speakers discussed the ability of AI tools such as Gemini to address real-world problems such as flood forecasting and healthcare disparities.
resemble: AI for Good: How Google is building AI solutions to global problems in Africa
From empowering farmers with frequent, accurate and actionable food security forecasts, to providing more accurate information to mitigate riverine flood disasters, to giving advertisers the tools to generate more product recommendations in different situations and scenarios, African businesses are now able to address real-world challenges through the use of AI.
Similarly, the Google team highlighted Gemini’s ability to summarise lengthy documents, including the Finance Bill 2024, and provide information on politics and elections that is verified by authoritative sources.
