If it seems like AI is now everywhere, you can thank Big Tech companies likeGoogleand Microsoft for that. However, the war between businesses in the industry – specifically these two companies – has been brewing long before generative AI went mainstream. As Google faces heat in an antitrust case, newly revealed documents from the court proceedings now show just how far the bad blood goes back.
Google Gemini: Everything you need to know about Google’s next-gen multimodal AI
Google Gemini is here, with a whole new approach to multimodal AI
According to a now-publicemail thread(PDF warning) between Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott, CEO Satya Nadella, and Bill Gates, concerns over Google’s AI developments – specifically its auto-complete capabilities in Gmail – sounded an alarm back in 2019 (viaBusiness Insider). Executives at the company seemed to be “very, very worried” over how “scarily good” the feature had become, forecasting how Google’s AI endeavors could further evolve. In turn, Microsoft appeared to assume it was “multiple years behind the competition,” particularly when it comes to machine learning.
Google’s advancements with Gemini
Microsoft did not immediately provide a response to Business Insider pertaining to the newly publicized court documents. However, it’s clear that the company felt threatened by Google’s AI advancements, even as minimal as they were compared to today. As it stands, Google is well on its way in the AI game, finding new ways to advance its Gemini initiative seemingly every day. The large language model (LLM) has become more than just an AI chatbot, featuring capabilities that can help with everything from content summarization to task execution.
As Gemini attracts the interest of additional potential users,Google is expanding its accessibility, too. For instance, you’re now able to ask questions of the chatbot directly from Chrome’s address bar by typing “@gemini” followed by a prompt. It’s worth noting that the app’s debut on Apple’s iPhone has been delayed, which may not come as a surprise, given the competition between the manufacturer and Google. That being said, there are likely many iPhone users who could make good use of the Gemini app, just as Android users have already been doing.
