The Stack: OpenAI and Google Face Off in the AI Race; Big Tech Regulation Tightens in APAC

by Aimee Newell Tarín on 17th May 2024 in News

This week on The Stack: OpenAI and Google Face Off in the AI Race; Big Tech Regulation Tightens in APAC; the MadTech Daily

This week, Google unveiled an updated AI-enhanced version of its world-leading Search. Among the new features announced, AI Overviews will provide AI-generated answers to people’s questions, able to handle much more complex queries than before. The feature is available in the US from this week (for searches in English); it will soon be available in more countries. This marks a significant shift in Google’s efforts to advance its position in the AI race against competitors.

Google’s announcement came the same week as the release of OpenAI’s latest model, GPT-4o. The new model possesses an improved ability to handle text, speech, and video. It was also designed for better interaction, to be able to function more like an assistant. OpenAI says this was its first momentous step forward in improving the “ease of use” of its models.

Elsewhere in the big tech landscape, APAC regulation of major tech companies has been tightening. Japan recently approved legislation which aims to prevent the largest online platforms from using their dominance to thwart new rivals. In South Korea, officials plan to introduce legislation to regulate online platforms including e-commerce players, streaming services and social media giants.