Google incentivizes AI innovation with bonuses and rewards
What's the story
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai is leading an initiative to improve the practicality of Google's AI services. As part of this initiative, Google recently launched an internal contest named the "Golden Prompt" for its Gemini workspace product, a suite of AI-powered productivity and collaboration tools. The competition rewarded employees who created best prompts for bots to ensure efficient and accurate results.
Practical applications
'Golden Prompt' competition emphasizes real-world scenarios
The "golden prompt" competition focused on real-world situations, such as a small-business owner managing online reviews on Google Maps. The winning prompt in this context was: "Every time I get a new Google review from a customer, add it to my Reviews Sheet, and suggest a response. Let me review the response before publishing it to Google Maps." This approach is designed to enhance the effectiveness of AI products in practical scenarios.
Prizes
Google rewards staff for successful AI bot prompts
Google rewarded staff who developed winning prompts with prizes, including golden bomber jackets with a white Gemini symbol stitched on the back and spot bonuses. The company did not disclose the number or value of the prizes distributed. Seven winners were selected in total, with their winning prompts ranging from tracking business leads to managing invoices and receipts.
Consumer focus
Pichai highlights importance of real-world AI applications
During Google's earnings call, Pichai emphasized the importance of defining how the company's AI products will work for consumers. He stated: "On the cloud and AI stuff, obviously, it's something which I think will end up being a big driver over time... But I think we are in this phase where we have to deeply work and make sure on these use cases, on these workflows, we are driving deeper progress and unlocking value."
User guidance
Google provides guidance on AI-powered Gemini usage
Google has been offering guidance to customers on how to use the AI-powered Gemini through updates like the April 'Prompting 101' guide. The guide advises users that prompting is an art, suggesting that successful prompts average around 21 words while less successful ones are usually less than nine words. This guidance aims to help users maximize the effectiveness of their interactions with the AI tools.
Financial performance
Q2 revenues impress market despite tehc hiccups
Despite some issues in the rollout of Gemini, Google's performance has impressed the market. The company reported Q2 revenues of nearly $85 billion, a 14% increase year on year, driven by search and cloud services. Goldman Sachs maintained its "buy" rating on Alphabet following these results, citing continued revenue momentum and positive commentary relating to gen-AI products as an upside for the stock.