Google Promises To Use Tech To Address Climate Issues

Google's representatives will be attending the COP28 summit along with global leaders to discuss sustainable AI development.

In a joint report with Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the search giant noted that AI has the potential to mitigate 5 to 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

In line with this, Google Maps has added a feature that allows drivers to save fuel and protect the environment. The feature suggests less polluting routes with the help of AI.

This feature has reportedly played a vital role in preventing more than 2.4 million metric tons of CO2 emissions, which is equivalent to taking half a million cars off the road for a year.

AI on Google Maps got major improvements with the October 2023 update. The map app brought a new feature dubbed Immersive View to more cities for Android and iOS users.

This AI-powered feature combines several pictures to create a 3D model of the world. The tech also comes in handy for predicting climate-related events.

This is similar to Google's new AI-powered feature called Flood Hub, which offers real-time flooding updates and predictions for US-based users.

Google believes policymakers, government officials, city planners, business leaders and individuals will have to work together to create a sustainable future.

"Policymakers, in particular, have a central role to play both in harnessing the potential of AI for climate action and in ensuring its sustainable and equitable use," the American tech giant noted.

Google delays the release of Gemini AI

Meanwhile, Google has reportedly delayed the release date of its much-awaited Gemini AI. Originally slated to launch last month, this powerful model isn't likely to see the light of day until 2024, according to some reports.

Citing two people with knowledge of the matter, The Information reported that Google has told some of its business partners and cloud customers that the model isn't likely to be released until the first quarter of 2024.

Google initially told some of its partners they will get access to the company's new conversational AI known as Gemini by November. However, they are now being told about the change in plans.

The delay comes at a very bad time for Google. According to the company's results posted earlier this year, Google's cloud sales growth has slowed, while its biggest rival in the AI space, Microsoft, has posted positive numbers.

Microsoft invested a lot of money in OpenAI and sold its technology to its customers. In fact, during OpenAI's first annual conference, DevDay and Ignite 2023, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella talked about how technology is helping the company's growth.

Moreover, the Redmond-based tech giant recently rebranded Bing Chat to Copilot in a bid to better compete with OpenAI's ChatGPT.