Kozminski Techblog

Some Google Drive users have reacted angrily to a glitch that has left some of them unable to access files from the past six months.  Google has said that it is already working on the problem that users of the cloud storage service are facing.

The well-known Drive is part of Google Workspace, a suite of applications that has more than three billion users worldwide, which, of course, has not been a good reputation for the company.  The exact cause of the problem – how the files disappeared – is unknown. The only thing the company’s representatives advised was to update the systems and just wait…

The Daily Mail claims that “a Korean Google Drive user initially reported that all of his information from May of this year had been erased from Google Drive, which led to the discovery of the issue. 

Issues such as this do arise; they are not exceptional. Although technology has made life easier, there are a lot of drawbacks to it as well. Life has also become a little more frustrating due to data loss, server outages, privacy concerns, data harvesting, and other things. Google promise to handle every problem affecting its consumers and services.

So will anyone continue to lose their files?

Reference list:

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67554160

https://techaeris.com/2023/11/28/some-google-drive-users-may-be-experiencing-a-glitch-causing-files-to-be-deleted/#google_vignette

In today’s world, few people will be surprised by yet another innovative smartwatch, but Samsung has decided to come up with something really new. Just recently, the company announced its new Galaxy Ring device. 

Samsung presented its new smart ring with several visible sensors on the inside of the strap.

The company’s representative also said that the ring will help people monitor their health status as its main goal.

Oura Ring is a well-known player in this market. In turn, the CEO said that their ring has the strongest intellectual property portfolio in both hardware and software. And the emergence of such a player in this market only confirms their competitiveness. However, should a heavyweight company like Samsung be perceived only as a player and not a potential ‘enemy’?

The main advantage – the usability of the Galaxy phone, Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Ring – is the ability to view all the data from the Samsung Health app, without using additional applications.

So, in my opinion, the future prospects are undeniable, and Samsung’s smart rings will be able to really change the use of smartwatches and rings from just accessories to a new useful line of development in this segment.

Reference list:

https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/fitness-trackers/samsung-galaxy-ring-rumors-suggest-its-another-small-step-towards-reality

https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/19/24041922/samsung-galaxy-ring-smart-ring-wearables

Uber has decided to make a new app that will join them with black-cab drivers this year.

Immediately, a small number of eager drivers signed up, but the so-called Licensed Drivers’ Association claimed that Uber had not informed anyone before the announcement.

The LTDA’s general secretary said there was “no demand for this partnership” from the drivers it represents and that London’s taxi industry has experienced “significant growth since the pandemic, with record taxi demand, more work through taxi apps and huge investment in new electric taxis”. As a result, the black-cab drivers’ representatives did not even consider the possibility of such a collaboration, as they stressed, especially given Uber’s officially confirmed bad reputation.

The study of black cab drivers’ opinions differed in the survey itself…

There are those who have been registered in the app for 7 years and see great prospects in it, but there are also those who do not even imagine how it can work, saying that London taxis are one of the symbols and a real ”gold standard”.

Of course, taking into account the ambiguous statements about such cooperation, Uber has offered counter-offers: in particular, six months of free booking commission in the app. But will this help such a ‘scandalous taxi service’ to win favour?

In addition, Uber has not always had a good relationship with the London authorities. 

It lost its licence in 2017 after Transport for London accused the company of a “lack of corporate responsibility” that “has implications for public order and safety”. 

It was cited for failures in reporting criminal offences and conducting background checks. 

So, will such allegations about the peculiarity of Black Cabs in London remain, or will the partnership be a more profitable option and take over London’s transport network?

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-67555092

A well-known Chinese company has decided to develop a new business area, Intelligent Automotive Solutions. The main automotive partner Chongqing Changan Automobile and relevant parties will own up to 40% of the new company. The cars themselves are presented in a crossover format, equipped with a hybrid system consisting of a 1.5-litre petrol engine and an electric motor. All in all, all the features in the car are in line with the price segment and the current development of the automotive industry. The main issue for the company is the distribution of shares.

So, many questions began to arise in the company after the development of the new idea of distributing management over the new business unit.

It is likely that Huawei will remain the single largest shareholder with 40% to 50% for at least the next two to three years. Huawei also confirmed that it is in advanced talks to sell part of its new car company to investors, including Chongqing Changan Automobile, but did not comment on the valuation. It added that it wants to move technology and resources into the new company to work with partners to promote innovation in smart car technology and the development of the automotive industry. 

A well-known Chinese company has decided to develop a new business area, Intelligent Automotive Solutions. The main automotive partner Chongqing Changan Automobile and relevant parties will own up to 40% of the new company. The cars themselves are presented in a crossover format, equipped with a hybrid system consisting of a 1.5-litre petrol engine and an electric motor. All in all, all the features in the car are in line with the price segment and the current development of the automotive industry. The main issue for the company is the distribution of shares.

Many questions began to arise in the company after the development of the new idea of distributing management over the new business unit.

It is likely that Huawei will remain the single largest shareholder with 40% to 50% for at least the next two to three years. Huawei also confirmed that it is in advanced talks to sell part of its new car company to investors, including Chongqing Changan Automobile, but did not comment on the valuation. It added that it wants to move technology and resources into the new company to work with partners to promote innovation in smart car technology and the development of the automotive industry. 

The spin-off is a rare move for Huawei, whose businesses previously included telecoms and consumer electronics.  Currently, Huawei is having difficulty developing its smart car business and needs to raise capital to cover research and development (R&D) costs. High hopes that this unit will become a new growth driver have been expressed by senior Huawei executives. The company has invested $3 billion in the unit since its inception, and according to its 2022 annual report, the size of the R&D department has grown to 7,000 people.

Sources :

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/huaweis-new-smart-car-firm-valued-up-35-bln-amid-advanced-stake-talks-sources-2023-11-29/

Are they always simpler and better?

Today, many people notice in their checks (bills) already fixed tips, which can be paid directly through specified payment platforms and touch screens.

At the same time, many consumers do not pay attention to the collected funds. It’s even grown to the point of federal and government crackdowns, and companies and online payment platforms (Square and Toast among the most famous) have started deceiving their customers through convoluted technical developments.

From another point of view, namely the developers of such technologies, there are positive aspects to this, because the design of the programs is created in such a way that direct consumers, regardless of a certain pressure, still press that button.

Researchers believe that an important aspect is the very principle of this UX & UI design, which is specially designed to influence the behavior of consumers and their least resistance.

Modern payment technologies have a selection of options for further “donation” of tips, these are certain sets, and maybe even algorithms developed by experts based on a database, which in a certain growth offer percentage deduction depending on the client’s wishes, for example, 10, 15, 20 percent. But there are additional features like “no tip/don’t leave a tip this time” and “choose your amount”.

In a way, the small fixed buttons with the percentage amount in advance seem to force the consumer to choose a higher amount and leave a rather generous tip in the end. This is the success of the modernization of such companies, with the help of the so-called HumanAI.

Reference list: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/technology/personaltech/tipping-defaults-digital-payments.html

Recently, one of the most widespread topics has become the possibility of artificial intelligence. Engineers are working more and more on a chatbot for Google.

One worker pointed out that AI systems only mimic real conversation – at least for now. It is quite possible that such a program will be able to be fully updated to meet the needs and stated plans, said Neil Sahota, the UN’s leading adviser on artificial intelligence.

Why don’t chatbots currently have feelings or emotions?

After all, many of them are filled with a huge amount of information (codes, databases, and other Internet resources)…Chatbots are created based on the principle of analyzing individual patterns, which in turn are based on the “obvious” reactions of people to situations already known to them.

The big drawback is that even with these capabilities, chatbots are programmed to simply follow human instructions. By themselves, these algorithmic programs cannot improve and learn certain emotions. “So you can’t have a chatbot that says, ‘Hey, I’m learning to drive,’ that’s general artificial intelligence (albeit more advanced) that doesn’t exist yet,” Sahota says.

Engineers from the famous social platform – Facebook, back in 2017, conducted some research on the conversation of one chatbot with another and found that two chatbots cannot normally respond to words, not to mention emotions. Later, the most popular chatbots in the world, Bob and Alice were taught to negotiate about such objects as hats and balls, and in the absence of human intervention, at least on such topics, they did manage to talk.

So, according to many researchers, the most likely path to algorithms with feelings is to program them to want to improve, rather than just teach them to identify patterns and recognize only a fairly limited range of actions. However, it is still difficult to implement, and it is not known when it will be possible to realistically endow artificial intelligence with human empthy.

Reference list: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230224-the-ai-emotions-dreamed-up-by-chatgpt

Today, with the development of the latest technologies, the treatment of serious diseases is becoming less and less problematic, however, it has long taken a very large volume of different samples and an even greater number of errors to determine the correct chemical compounds. As mentioned earlier, the world does not stand still and artificial intelligence could predict the composition of a new drug molecule just like any search query in a browser. OpenAI’s ChatGPT helps generate human-like responses for the analysis and synthesis of proteins, the building blocks of life and many medicines.

Will AI be able to correctly apply certain natural language algorithms that quickly analyze speech and predict the next step that can be applied to this biological data? 

“Technologies like this will begin to cover areas of biology that are ‘untreatable,'” says Sean McClain, founder, and CEO of Absci Corp., a drug development company in Vancouver, Washington.

So if these algorithms work as hoped, they will bring new power to AI’s promise to transform drug discovery. There have already been previous attempts, but unfortunately, their use at the time faced limitations of technology or lack of data.

Since the technology is still in its early stages, most medical companies are more focused on using protein language models to improve known molecules. Absci and Helixon are also working with drugmakers to develop cancer drugs (companies positioning themselves as next-generation AI therapeutic discoveries)

 A Merck representative said the company has entered into several collaborations to explore the potential of artificial intelligence in drug development. Helixon signed contracts with two major pharmaceutical companies last month to fight previously untreatable diseases, CEO says 

Reference list: www.bizjournals.com

Companies in the Polish market continue to search for and develop new information and Internet platforms, in particular those that help sales and buyers of products. One of the leading positions in this market is occupied by the company IdoSell.

This online platform uses many options to expand marketplaces and tie-ups with side courier companies around the world. It’s no secret that for the sake of more sales, stores adjust the personalization of the product, focusing on the target audience.

Another interesting trend is omnichannel. Consumers are used to freely choosing between online and offline stores of the same brand. This broadens the horizons and allows choosing, and as a result, the brand gains more trust.

One of the most convenient aspects is the possibility of instant payments, mobile sales, and social shopping, which allows them to buy products without visiting other websites of certain brands.

The presence of artificial intelligence helps to automatically track the previous search history and find the right products as quickly as possible using voice commands.

According to preliminary forecasts, the use of chatbots will also grow. First, they will develop a level of personalization—they will welcome customers, offer assistance, answer common questions, solve customer problems, and deliver products that meet the immediate needs of consumers. To get the most complete information about the product without visiting an offline store, augmented reality will help. By the way, VR is already being used, especially by IKEA. The use of drones for delivery is so far mastered by big brands, namely Amazon, FedEx, and Alibaba, but only in some parts of the world.

Reference list: The research was carried out by Gemius

Amazon company is one of the first Internet services focused on the sale of real goods of mass demand, the world’s largest company that sells goods and services over the Internet. The company is expanding into e-commerce markets around the world.
For the most part, the platform itself occupies the world’s largest e-commerce marketplace, AI assistant provider, and cloud computing platform, measured by revenue and market capitalization.
Recently, “Amazon Web Services said the new investment is contributing to the creation of 1,000 jobs, which makes sense. AWS plans to build several data center campuses across Virginia.” The company itself notes that in 2021, AWS previously stated that over the previous 9 years, it had already invested $35 billion in data centers located in northern Virginia and has 3,500 full-time employees in its data centers in the state.

It added that in 2018, after a lengthy competition, Amazon announced that northern Virginia would be home to its second headquarters, known as “HQ2,” which would eventually house more than 25,000 employees. As of April, Amazon said the number of employees assigned to the location was about 5,000. The platform plans to expand its staff of workers, which is clearly becoming quite an attractive proposition, but is this technology company ready to hold on and motivate its staff?

According to preliminary data, Amazon is known for its harsh working conditions. The company uses a system of metrics, competition between employees, and negative selection, which forces employees to either “go beyond their capabilities” or burn out at work.
In November 2021, California ordered Amazon to pay a $500,000 fine for failing to properly notify workers and health authorities of new cases of COVID-19.

Sources: Reuters.

Recently, the German airline Lufthansa again announced a change in its attitude regarding the permission of carring AirTags in pre-checked baggage.

The company’s representatives, after some research, made sure that electronic devices with similar tracking chips do not pose a threat to tracking people, and in general, some kind of danger to the air transport itself.

The company made such a decision after loud riots by the airline’s clientele and misunderstandings about the ban on activated trackers in the luggage compartment of ordinary passengers.

Last Tuesday, the Apple company did provide its comments regarding the rather safe use of activated trackers and assured that AirTags and other Bluetooth devices should not cause harm.

In turn, the Federal Aviation Service of America also agreed to the completely safe transportation of tracking devices with a small power for the sake of transport safety. However, the association of the European Union is not ready to answer something specific and grant permission. That’s why, Lufthansa

decided to make the final decision based on the opinion of the airline’s German advisors.

Apple said AirTags use CR2032 batteries, which are commonly used in watches and key fobs, and were approved back in 2017 to be carried on airplanes by many aviation security authorities and organizations.

So, Lufthansa did allow its customers to carry Bluetooth devices both in hand luggage and in luggage.

Overall, this will help the airline not to lose its indignant customers, and to maintain a connection with such a large-scale economic company as Apple. Perhaps in the future they will somehow be able to work together and find a way to collaborate in certain electronic devices, taking into account the safety requirements of air transportation.