Amazon unveils AI Voice Search for Fire TV and Google issues apologies for AI Overviews 👨‍💻

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We’re back with another hard hitting, scoop delivering, brain busting edition of Product Scoop - the newsletter delivering insights, news, analysis, and an inside view into the world of tech. Before we dive into the week here, a few words from out sponsors below 👇

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Now that we’re done with that, here’s your scoop below 👇

🦾 Amazon is launching AI Voice search to Fire TV devices

• Amazon is revolutionizing the Fire TV experience with the introduction of an AI-powered search feature, enabling Alexa to answer open-ended questions about TV shows and movies and provide highly personalized recommendations. Unveiled at Amazon’s annual devices event last September, this feature is powered by Amazon's proprietary large language model (LLM). The AI's natural language understanding allows it to handle specific queries like, "Which movie has the line 'Life is like a box of chocolates?'"—the answer being "Forrest Gump." It also excels at generating recommendations based on actors, characters, genres, and even topics. Read more

👨‍💻 Google issues apology over AI Overviews in new blog post

• Google has found itself in an embarrassing situation with its new AI-powered search feature, AI Overviews. Following a week filled with criticism and memes highlighting the inaccuracies and misinformation generated by this underdeveloped technology, Google issued an apologetic blog post on Thursday. The post, written by Liz Reid, Google’s VP and Head of Search, acknowledged the presence of "odd, inaccurate or unhelpful AI Overviews" and the company's oversight in its deployment. In the post titled "About last week," Reid elaborated on the mistakes made by AI Overviews. Despite extensive testing and "robust red-teaming efforts," the AI often misinterpreted queries, misunderstood nuances in language, and struggled with topics lacking substantial information. Read more

⚖️ Binance ex-CEO ”CZ” begins prison sentence

• Binance's billionaire founder, Changpeng Zhao, has reported to a low-security federal prison in Lompoc, California. This follows his sentencing in April, where he was given a four-month prison term after pleading guilty to charges related to money laundering at his cryptocurrency exchange, Binance. Zhao’s defense team at Latham & Watkins confirmed his custody status to CNBC. The sentence Zhao received was notably less severe than the 12 to 18 months outlined by sentencing guidelines and significantly below the three years sought by federal prosecutors. Read more

🇫🇷 France is becoming a global superpower in AI

• France is rapidly emerging as a global AI leader, bolstered by substantial private investments like Microsoft’s recent 4 billion euro commitment and a dynamic display of AI innovations at Viva Tech 2024. Showcasing generative AI technologies from various companies, including L’Oreal's AI-powered beauty assistant, the event highlighted France’s robust AI ecosystem and research facilities, such as Meta’s Facebook AI Research center and Google’s AI hub in Paris. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and President Emmanuel Macron underscored the nation’s ambitions to develop domestic AI capabilities while balancing innovation with regulatory challenges posed by the EU AI Act. With a strong governmental push and a vibrant startup scene, France is well-positioned to lead in the global AI industry. Read more