Google is working on 'Project EAT': What is it?
What's the story
Google is working on an internal project, dubbed "Project EAT," to transform its workforce into one with advanced AI capabilities. The initiative falls under the company's "AI and Infrastructure" unit, or AI2 for short. The team, headed by industry veteran Amin Vahdat, focuses on data centers, chips and other critical components that power Google's AI technologies.
Initiative
Project EAT's origins and objectives
Project EAT started as a grassroots effort among employees. Its main objective is to help them adapt to different AI products and standardize their use across the organization. The project has already resulted in some AI productivity tools that are now being used by Googlers across the company. This comes as Google leaders push for wider adoption of AI in workflows.
Project goals
Vision for an AI-powered workplace
An internal mission statement for Project EAT outlines its ambition to keep AI2 at the forefront of AI development, from productivity tools to coding. The document envisions a future where Google becomes an "AI-powered workplace," resulting in higher productivity, employee engagement and collaboration. It also hopes to improve work quality, balance, and foster product innovation across the company.
Testing phase
Early successes and pilot testing
Project EAT is currently pilot-testing new AI products and standards within AI2, with plans to eventually implement them across the company. An internal FAQ for the project reveals it had a 12-week seed-stage focused on advanced coding assistance tools within the AI2 org. The test period showed promising signs of improved developer velocity, reduced toil, and enhanced code quality.