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Google AI Technology

Google Says Over Half of Generative AI Startups Use Its Cloud (bloomberg.com) 12

When employees leave Google to join the artificial intelligence startup race, the search giant still has a way to benefit -- by keeping those former workers as cloud customers. From a report: More than half of venture-backed generative AI startups pay for Google's cloud computing platform, Alphabet, Google's parent company, said Tuesday. Of the startups valued at over $1 billion, 70% are Google Cloud customers, and about a third of those are helmed by former employees, including Anthropic, Character.ai and Cohere, the company said. That gives Google a way to extend its influence in the field even when it sheds talent.

Google's cloud unit, which reported a profit for the first time this year, has emerged as one of the company's best bets for growth as its core search business matures. Google still trails Amazon's AWS and Microsoft's Azure in the market. But startups in the field of generative AI -- programs that can spin up images, text and video from simple prompts -- are increasingly turning to the company, said James Lee, Google Cloud's general manager for startups and AI. "We're seeing strong momentum in our business, and we see Google Cloud as the preferred choice for startups building generative AI," Lee said in an interview. Google Cloud customers have the option to use AI models from Google itself as well as other companies, a degree of flexibility that appeals to startups, Lee said.

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Google Says Over Half of Generative AI Startups Use Its Cloud

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  • by Eunomion ( 8640039 ) on Tuesday August 29, 2023 @02:02PM (#63806586)
    Knowing Google.
  • Is anyone else exhausted by the AI hype? I'm old enough to remember when AI was hyped back in the 80's. There was probably also similar although a bit more attenuated hype in the 60's (the McCarthy Lisp era). I remember working with neural networks back in the 80's. It can be a useful tool in narrow applications but that's pretty much going to be it (at least unless Moore's law continues unabated for decades).

    Now it seems the hype cycle has started again. Every company newsletter I get is nothing but AI
    • IIS....the mid 80's was when the public buzz about IIS being artificial intelligence started....

    • by JackAxe ( 689361 )
      I watched a whole bunch of Computer Chronicles the other year, and every other episode it seems was talking about AI. Good show, glad it's on YouTube for free. :)
    • Is anyone else exhausted by the AI hype? I'm old enough to remember when AI was hyped back in the 80's. There was probably also similar although a bit more attenuated hype in the 60's (the McCarthy Lisp era). I remember working with neural networks back in the 80's. It can be a useful tool in narrow applications but that's pretty much going to be it (at least unless Moore's law continues unabated for decades). Now it seems the hype cycle has started again. Every company newsletter I get is nothing but AI hype. Maybe I'm just being an old fart but the current AI hype can get the hell off my lawn.

      The AI hype at this point is almost as cloyingly silly as the cloud hype of a few years back or the crypto hype that's finally beginning to slow down in the wave of AI hype. It's the latest focus for throwing lots and lots of resources and money. I don't think it's ever going to be what some people seem to want to believe it already is. It's an interesting experiment path, for certain, but nowhere near worthy of the hype it's receiving.

  • When employees leave Google to join the artificial intelligence startup race, the search giant still has a way to benefit -- by keeping those former workers as cloud customers

    I have a hard time believing that any former Google employee would be stupid enough to want to use Google cloud. I suspect when the article says that...

    Google Says Over Half of Generative AI Startups Use Its Cloud>

    ...that this is the half of startups made by people who had nothing to do with Google and are just stupid.

  • Next: Chile - over half of the AI is using copper we supply.

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