Alphabet Google May Dominate AI for Developers
July 26, 2016
Advertising dominance is not enough. Tackling problems like solving death is not enough. Failing at augmented reality is not enough. Google wants to dominate artificial intelligence.
I know. I read “Google Sprints Ahead in AI Building Blocks, Leaving Rivals Wary.” Now quite a few folks have released to open source various types of smart software. But the Alphabet Google thing knows that smart software can cut electricity bills and generate less and less useful search results for me.
The write up takes a different approach. I learned:
But for some competitors, there’s a big downside to adopting Google’s standard. Using TensorFlow will help Google recruit more AI experts by training them on the same tool it uses internally, spotting their code, and hiring the best contributors. It could also let the search-engine provider exert outsize influence over the burgeoning AI ecosystem. If the internet giant dominates in this field, it could gain an advantage in the fast-growing cloud-computing business, turning the popularity of its software into real revenue. “It’s the next big area, and people are worried Google’s going to own the show,” said Ed Lazowska, a computer science professor at the University of Washington who has served on the technical advisory board of Microsoft Corp.’s research lab. “There is a network effect, and it’s a really excellent system.”
What’s the solution? Well, there is Facebook AI, IBM Watson, and a number of other outfits eager to make your software smart.
What’s not to like? Perhaps a silver bullet is speeding on its way to you?
Stephen E Arnold, July 26, 2016
Comments
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
