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OpenAI
AI Chatbot Artificial Intelligence Cyber Security Google Google Assistant Google Cloud Large Language Model OpenAI

Google Launches Next-Gen Large Language Model, PaLM 2

Google has launched its latest large language model, PaLM 2, in a bid to regain its position as a leader in artificial intelligence. PaLM 2 is an advanced language model that can understand the nuances of human language and generate responses that are both accurate and natural-sounding.

The new model is based on a transformer architecture, which is a type of deep learning neural network that excels at understanding the relationships between words and phrases in a language. PaLM 2 is trained on a massive dataset of language, which enables it to learn from a diverse range of sources and improve its accuracy and comprehension over time.

PaLM 2 has several features that set it apart from previous language models. One of these is its ability to learn from multiple sources simultaneously, which allows it to understand a broader range of language than previous models. It can also generate more diverse and natural-sounding responses, making it ideal for applications such as chatbots and virtual assistants.

Google has already begun using PaLM 2 in its products and services, such as Google Search and Google Assistant. The model has also been made available to developers through Google Cloud AI, allowing them to build more advanced applications and services that can understand and respond to human language more accurately.

The launch of PaLM 2 is significant for Google, as it comes at a time when the company is facing increased competition from other tech giants such as Microsoft and OpenAI. Both of these companies have recently launched large language models of their own, which are also based on transformer architectures.

Google hopes that PaLM 2 will help it to regain its position as a leader in AI research and development. The company has invested heavily in machine learning and natural language processing over the years, and PaLM 2 is a testament to its ongoing commitment to these fields.

In conclusion, Google's PaLM 2 is an advanced language model that has the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with technology. Its ability to understand and respond to human language more accurately and naturally is a significant step forward in the development of AI, and it will be exciting to see how developers and businesses leverage this technology to build more advanced applications and services.


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User Privacy
Alexa ChatGPT Google Assistant iPhone Privacy Private Data Spyware User Privacy

Stop Siri, Google & Alexa from Stealing Audio Files for Unauthorized Usage

There are several ways to stop devices from accessing your data, as per USA Today reports. Some call for physically blocking cameras and microphones. Laptops and desktop computers would be the finest platforms for this.

The evolution of search and technology will rely on individuals speaking to computers more fluidly to complete tasks. Along the road, users need to protect their privacy, and that process begins with the products employed currently. You might want to as a result or at least forbid them from exploiting such information. Due to transcription's imperfection, it is possible for it to unintentionally carry out your instructions and send odd messages to one of your contacts.

How to turn off Siri on iPhone

It requires a few steps to deactivate Siri on an iPhone. Here is what you must do when you want to entirely deactivate Siri:
  1. Open the iPhone's Settings app.
  2. Click on 'Siri & Search.'
  3. Turn off the controls for 'Listen for Hey Siri ' and 'Press Home for Siri.'
If you deactivate Siri, you won't be able to call it by pressing the home button or say 'Hey Siri.'  Additionally, you won't be able to employ Siri to perform actions like making calls, sending text messages, and creating reminders.

Amazon

Employees at Amazon listening to your records is the real issue. Here's how to stop it:
  1. Launch the Alexa app on your device and select the More menu option.
  2. Choose Privacy > Settings for Alexa.
  3. Pick Manage Your Alexa Data on step three.
  4. Deactivate the toggles next to "Help Alexa" and "Use messages to enhance transcriptions."
For added privacy in some circumstances, you can switch off the Echo's microphone. At the device's top, press the button to turn the microphone on or off.

Smartphone

When you are uncomfortable with Android having access to private records, your preferred option is to turn off Google Assistant because you can't really choose what is sent and saved.

Here's how to disable the "OK Google" wake command:
  1. Launch the Google app on your mobile device.
  2. Tap the icon for your profile photo in the top section.
  3. Select General under Settings > Google Assistant.
  4. To disable Google Assistant, slide the switch next to it to the left.

When it was discovered that Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa were recording random voice snippets in their formative days, criticism erupted. Some firmly gripped their conspiratorial hats, claiming that this was a brand-new dystopia tool for keeping an eye on millions of people. The likelihood is higher that the assistants misheard the cue and began anticipatorily listening for orders. These systems are not fault-tolerant and they can still make blunders.

Some of the major digital firms that might use intelligent chatbots like ChatGPT are Amazon, Google, and Apple. They could complement the current solutions or be included in future versions of Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri. 




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Technology
Alexa Google Google Assistant Google Assistant New feautures Google Home Speakers Technology

Potential Wiretapping Bugs Found in Google Home Speakers

 


For identifying security issues with Google Home smart speakers, a security researcher recently received a bug bounty award of $107,500. It is possible to exploit these issues to install backdoors into the software and make it able to spy on you remotely. 

A researcher, who uses the name Matt, said this week in a technical write-up published by the University of Washington that it has been discovered that the flaws could be exploited by attackers who are within a wireless range of the device by installing a 'backdoor' account on the device so that they could access the microphone feed of the device remotely, send commands remotely through the internet, and make arbitrary HTTP requests within the victim's local area network, according to the researcher, Matt, who wrote a technical report published earlier this week.  

This malicious request, coupled with an attempt to identify the Wi-Fi password, could not only expose the Wi-Fi password but could also allow the adversary direct access to other connected devices on the same network so that he could carry out further attacks. In April 2021, Google remediated the issues that had arisen as a result of their responsible disclosure on January 8, 2021.  

This problem, to put it modestly, is related to how the software architecture of Google Home can be exploited to add a rogue Google account to a target's home automation system, which in turn would facilitate the theft of valuable data.  

The researcher has outlined a chain of attacks in which a threat actor would seek to eavesdrop on a victim. The goal is to convince the victim to install a malicious Android app. When the app detects a Google Home device is present on the network, it installs itself on the device. It then issues a stealthy HTTP request to connect an attacker's account to the victim's. 

In addition, it has also been reported that it is possible to force a Google Home device into "setup mode" and to create its open Wi-Fi network if an attacker can stage a Wi-Fi de-authentication attack to get it disconnected from the networks. 

Upon connecting to the device's setup network, the threat actor can request information such as the device name, cloud_device_id, and certificate of the device. In this way, they will be able to link their devices to their accounts by using them. 

The adversary can take advantage of the routines built into Google Home, regardless of the attack sequence used. This is done by using a successful connection to turn down the volume to zero on Google Home. As a result of this, the adversary can make a call to an exact telephone number to spy on the victim. This is done through the microphone of the device at any given time. 

According to Matt, the only thing that may come to notice to the victim would be that the device's LEDs would turn solid blue. However, they would probably just assume that it was an update to the firmware or something like that. When a call is taking place, the LEDs of the device do not pulse as they would if the device was listening. Due to this, the LEDs cannot detect the microphone during a call. 

The attacker can also extend this attack to the point of attempting arbitrary HTTP requests inside the victim's network as part of the attack. In addition, it may even be able to read files or introduce malicious changes that would be applied to the linked device after a reboot as a result of the hack. 

Voice-activated devices have been used for quite some time to spy on potential targets without being detected and to covertly snoop on them. 

The Light Commands technique was recently released by a group of academics in November. MEMS microphones have been found to have a vulnerability that may lead to a data breach. A remote attacker could use this exploitation to inject inaudible and invisible commands and commands into popular voice assistants such as Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Facebook Portal, and Apple Siri using light instead of voice.  
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Privacy
Google Google Assistant Privacy

For Privacy and Safety, Disable these features from your Google Assistance


It's difficult to imagine life without Google and every day the search engine gets more involved and intricate in our lives. One of its features - the Google Assistant is used quite extensively by masses to make their life easier and tasks swifter.

Google Assistant is an Artificial Intelligence virtual assistant developed by Google that can be availed from your smartphone and smart devices. A very efficient digital assistant that can hold two-way conversations, as Google says, "Meet your Google Assistant. Ask it questions. Tell them to do things. It's your own personal Google, always ready to help whenever you need it." 

 "Meet your Google Assistant. Ask it questions. Tell them to do things. It's your own personal Google, always ready to help whenever you need it." 

But since it is connected with almost all of your smart devices and able to listen and record you always, it's imperative to be concerned over privacy and thus there are few tips that you should consider to make your Google assistant more safe and private-
  
Change Voice Recording Settings

 Only recently Google updated their voice recording privacy settings and you can now opt-in or opt-out for the voice recording to be saved and shared with their human analyzers. So, definitely check out these settings in the Your Data in the Assistant then Audio Recordings and set them as you like but the recordings saved previously should also be looked into- you can choose to delete them manually or set how long can Google keep them.

 Turn off Continued Conversation

 Under the Continued Conversation feature your Google Assistant can listen for another follow up question without you saying 'Hey, Google'. Though the feature can be useful it can allow your device to listen in when you're not interacting with the assistant and simply asking a question to someone else. 

 May want to keep the camera disable when not in use

If you're using a Google-enabled smart display it's best to keep the camera disabled when not in use. It might become tedious to switch it on and off every time you make a video call but it's better than to keep it on always. 

 Google Activity Controls 

Google Assistant gathers up information from other apps you use from the Google account for better performance. If you like you can control the amount and type of information that your Google Assistance can access for privacy concerns. You can also opt for auto-delete and intervals for which data can be kept.
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Google Assistant
Alexa Amazon Goggle Smart Speakers. Google Google Assistant

Google’s Language Experts Listen to Users’ Private Recordings





The technology superpower Google recently avowed that its employees listen to customers' personal audio recordings on Google Home smart speakers.


For allegedly improving the voice recognition quality, language experts analyze "snippets" of users' recordings.


Those recordings are used to further develop the Google assistant's artificial intelligence system which is used in the Android phones and Google Home smart speakers.


According to sources the company is a statement cited their experts did transcribe a few of the anonymous recordings.


An investigation had been launched after it was found out that some Dutch audio data had been leaked.


Per sources the technology giant also said that in the process of developing technology of its AI products, transcribing a small set of queries is critical for which they collaborate with language experts around the world.


And it was one of these reviewers who allegedly leaked the Dutch audio data hence violating Google's security policies.


Actually, only 0.2% of all audio snippets are reviewed by the language experts, which especially are never associated with user accounts.



The investigation launched by the Security and Privacy Response teams is Soon to reach some result and all possible actions are being taken to deduct all chances of repetition.


Amazon also indulges in similar actions of listening to recordings of customers in relation with Alexa, its voice based assistant, mentioned a report.


Later Amazon admitted to the process and mentioned that the number of recordings was pretty small and imperative to train AI's responses.


There's a special provision for users though. They can always delete their recordings linked to their account by way of the Alexa Companion App.


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Speakers
AI Google Google Assistant Home smart Home smart speakers Speakers

Google has been listening to recordings from Home smart speakers


Google has admitted that it listens to voice recordings of users from its AI voice-assistant Google Assistant after its Dutch language recordings were leaked by Belgian public broadcaster VRT. “Most of these recordings were made consciously, but Google also listens to conversations that should never have been recorded, some of which contain sensitive information,” VRT claimed in its report.

Google’s product manager of Search David Monsees admitted, in a company blog post, that its language experts globally listen to these recordings to help Google better understand languages to develop speech technology.

“These language experts review and transcribe a small set of queries to help us better understand those languages. This is a critical part of the process of building speech technology, and is necessary to creating products like the Google Assistant,” the post read.

Google, however, insists that only around 0.2 per cent of all audio snippets are reviewed. The clippings, the company says, are anonymous or not associated with user accounts and do not reveal a user’s personal information. The post adds that no background noise is transcribed by the language experts to maintain privacy.

However, of over 1,000 recordings from Assistant, which is used on smartphones, smart home speakers like Google Home and other products, VRT reported that 153 were recorded accidentally and even revealed some personal information of users such as their address in one case and names of grandchildren of a family in another.

Notably, to activate the Google Assistant, users need to say the phrase “OK, Google” or physically trigger the Assistant button on devices, after which it starts recording. Though rare, Google admits that Assistant may falsely accept recording request sometimes when triggered by interpreting something else as “Ok Google”. According to the post, this tends to happen when there is too much background noise.
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Interpreter Mode
Google Assistant Google Assistant New feautures Google Maps Interpreter Mode

Google Assistant Is All stacked Up With Loads Of New Features




Google Assistant is all up for going forward and acquiring the latest and to do that it’s absolutely set for providing its users with exceedingly awaited fresh features and integrations.

Some of these features have been on the demand list of Google Assistant’s users. Let’s check out what the fresh integrations and features are.

Interpreter Mode
Helping users to have a conversation in different languages is what Google home devices are all up for. The ‘Interpreter Mode’ will help translate in real-time and will narrate the entire translation out loud; in case of smart displays the text will also be shown on-screen.
Command: “Hey Google, be my Spanish interpreter”

Google Assistant Connect
This is an economic means and a manifesto for manufacturers so that they could add Google Assistant into their products. It is easily expandable to new devices by way of existing smart home platforms.
An e-link is provided which helps to display calendar and weather. The information is delivered via a smart speaker within the house.(already existing)

This program could be accessed by the manufacturers in late 2019.

Google Maps Integration
At last, Google Maps and Google Assistant are shaking hands. Users will now soon be able to convey their Map data such as their ETA to their friends.
Similarly, replying to text messages, adding new destinations, searching for new places on the route and so much more.
Google notes will also be synchronized with Google Assistant.

Flight Check-Ins
The most awaited feature is the flight check-in; via this inclusion, Google Assistant would help the users to easily check into their flights and access boarding passes.
Also the Assistant will send notifications regarding check-ins and other related stuff.
Command: “Hey Google, check into my flight.”

Newly Announced Devices
Google has made some really interesting announcements regarding the latest devices it’s about to launch pretty soon.
Brands like JBL, Anker, Whirlpool, and Verizon are employing Google Assistant in one way or another.
Sonos will also have Assistant pretty soon, especially Sonos Beam and Sonos One. The older models will have the Assistant via an update.
Smart displays, watches, cars and audio devices are a few on the list of devices which will have in a few weeks the Assistant’s assistance.










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