Tag GOOGL

Google has issued its 2024 Environmental Report, a more than 80-page document describing all of the massive company's efforts to apply tech to environmental issues and to mitigate its own contributions. But it totally dodges the question of how much energy is AI using — perhaps because the answer is "way more than we'd care to say." You can read the full report here (PDF), and honestly it's got a lot of interesting stuff in it. It's easy to forget how many plates a company as big as Google keeps...

Meta Platforms (META) is under fire by EU regulators who claim the company's ad subscription model is a pay-for-content scheme that requires users to choose between paying a fee or handing over more personal data to use for targeted advertising. Imperial College Business School professor of economics Tommaso Valletti joins Catalysts to discuss Big Tech's regulation issues in the EU. Valletti notes that the European Commission tried to use antitrust laws to curb the market power of some Big Tech companies. However, that approach moved slowly, so they decided to regulate companies under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which is a new policy that is designed to target companies identified as "gatekeepers." Meta was identified by the Commission as a "gatekeeper" and could be faced with fines for violating the Digital Markets Act in its advertising model. Companies charged under the Digital Markets Act may respond, which would kick off a regulatory dialog. Valletti says, "I suspect that the stakes are so high because the philosophy of the European Commission is that they would like some Big Tech companies to change the business model. So in terms of Meta, it's about data collection. In terms of Apple (AAPL), they have an ecosystem which is completely closed and they want to have a revolution there. But these companies are making so much money that for them, it's better to fight on legal grounds instead of changing the business model." He explains that fines for violating the act are more like a "slap on the wrist" compared to the revenue generation of Big Tech names like Apple, Meta, and Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL): "Those fines don't really help at all if you want a certain conduct to be changed. And so you have to impose higher fines that DMA has the power to impose up to 10% of the global turnover. So actually this would be fines that hurt more. But then you have to go through courts to see whether this is going to happen or not. To me, it's more important, not that the fines are imposed, but the behavior of firms changes up-front because you don't want to fine people after they drive too fast. You want people to start slowing down." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Catalysts. This post was written by Melanie Riehl...

Three years ago, Google set an ambitious plan to address climate change by going “net zero,” meaning it would release no more climate-changing gases into the air than it removes, by 2030. Google cited artificial intelligence and the demand it puts on data centers, which require massive amounts of electricity, for last year’s growth. Making that electricity by burning coal or natural gas emits greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide and methane, which warm the planet, bringing more extreme weather...

Alphabet's (GOOGL) division Google makes Gemma 2 available to researchers and developers across the globe...

Alphabet (GOOGL) announces wider roll-out of its new "Select recipients" UI redesign for Google Messages in a bid to boost its Android offerings...

We recently published a list of the 10 Best AI Momentum Stocks to Benefit from Volatility Ahead. Since Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) ranks 5th on the list, it deserves a deeper look. Wolfe Research has joined the ongoing market correction chorus as more and more experts warn of volatility ahead amid soaring valuations led by AI. Wolfe […]...

This might just be the highest-quality business the hedge fund manager owns...

Companies have been touting the promises of artificial intelligence in healthcare, but a large proportion of doctors and patients still don't fully trust the technology...

Amazon stock just hit a record high on the back of its improving profitability and growing presence in artificial intelligence (AI)...