Inside Tech

For May 30, 2024

Here’s a look at today's tech briefing:

TikTok developing separate algorithm for U.S. users.
Google leak reveals details about search ranking algorithms.
Amazon adds Grubhub food delivery to its app.
Amazon to expand its U.S. drone deliveries after key FAA approval.
Google and Magic Leap partner on extended reality.
Data centers could use up to 9% of U.S. electricity by 2030.

TikTok is developing a separate version of its recommendation algorithm for U.S. users, sources told Reuters. The cloned algorithm could pave the way for TikTok to sell its U.S. assets in compliance with the new U.S. divest-or-ban law.

More:

The clone could operate independently of TikTok's Chinese parent ByteDance, appeasing lawmakers concerned about its U.S. data sharing with China.
ByteDance reportedly began splitting the source code late last year, before President Biden signed the law requiring TikTok to sell the U.S. app or face a nationwide ban.
Previously, ByteDance denied any plans to sell TikTok, despite a report that it could divest its stake without the app's algorithm.
China had said it would not allow the sale of TikTok's algorithm.

Zoom out:

President Biden signed the law in April to ban TikTok unless ByteDance sells it in 9 to 12 months. TikTok has sued to block the law on First Amendment grounds.
If unsuccessful, those interested in buying the U.S. app include former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, former Activision Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick, and real-estate billionaire Frank McCourt.

Google confirmed the authenticity of 2,500 leaked documents detailing the ranking algorithms in its search engine. The leak suggests Google uses data like clicks for rankings that it previously claimed it did not.

More:

Google may have inadvertently revealed the search engine secrets after an internal bot accidentally published them on a public repository.
The documents reveal the types of data Google tracks and uses for its search algorithm, including how it prioritizes sites for sensitive topics.
The documents appear to contradict Google's public statements about how it calculates rankings.
For example, a Google engineer in 2016 said using clicks for rankings would be wrong, yet the leak suggests Google using click metrics in its NavBoost system for rankings.
The documents also indicate Google uses Chrome data, website size, and "domain authority" to influence rankings.

Zoom out:

The "main takeaway here is Google tells us one thing and they do another," said iPullRank CEO Michael King, who published an analysis of the documents.
However, Google cautioned against making incorrect assumptions about Search "based on out-of-context, outdated, or incomplete information."

Amazon's U.S. customers can now order food via Grubhub directly on the Amazon app and website. Prime members can also activate a free Grubhub+ membership for free delivery on orders over $12.

More:

It's the first time Amazon has added third-party food ordering within its shopping app.
Amazon users can search for "Grubhub" to order, track, and manage food deliveries.
Customers with Prime can also sign up for a permanent Grubhub+ membership, valued at $120 a year.
Amazon previously offered the deal to Prime members for a year, after which it auto-renewed at cost.

Zoom out:

Around 167 million U.S. Amazon customers, or 71% of all users, subscribe to Prime.
Amazon has expanded Prime benefits, now $139/year, to include free delivery, Prime Video, Amazon Music, discounted healthcare, and more, as it seeks to attract and retain subscribers.
For Grubhub, the Amazon deal will grow its scale and reach, helping it better compete against market leaders DoorDash and Uber Eats.

Amazon's Prime Air drone program received FAA approval to operate beyond the pilot's line of sight. The approval means Amazon can expand its drone deliveries in the U.S.

More:

Under FAA rules, drone operators must be able to see the device with their own eyes, unless using BVLOS (beyond the visual line of sight) technology.
Amazon created "detect-and-avoid technology" for remote drone piloting, demonstrating it to the FAA to show how the system works in real situations.
The company said its drones successfully navigated around real planes, helicopters, and a hot air balloon.
With the FAA approval, Amazon can now expand drone delivery in College Station, Texas, one of its test sites.

Zoom out:

Amazon recently said it was suspending drone operations in Lockeford, California, and will launch deliveries near Phoenix, Arizona, later this year.
The company aims to achieve 500 million drone deliveries a year by 2030.

Google has partnered with Magic Leap, the augmented reality (AR) startup known for its headsets. The collaboration merges Magic Leap's optics and manufacturing with Google's tech innovation, with a goal of bringing a "wider range of immersive experiences to market."

More:

While details are limited, Google's Shahram Izad said combining efforts could advance the extended reality ecosystem with "unique and innovative product offerings."
Extended reality, or XR, encompasses AR, virtual, and mixed reality.
Google is also an investor in Magic Leap, which is majority-owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
Google said the Magic Leap doesn't impact its partnership with Samsung. Google and Samsung are working on a VR-style headset featuring passthrough cameras, differing from Magic Leap's transparent AR optics.

Zoom out:

Magic Leap pioneered consumer AR headsets with the Magic Leap One in 2019 and the improved Magic Leap 2 in 2022.
While Google ventured into AR with Google Glass in 2011, price, privacy, and safety issues prompted it to pull the wearable smart glasses from the market in 2015.
The company still offers a Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 to businesses.

Data centers could consume just over 9% of U.S. electricity by 2030, driven by the rapid expansion of AI technology, according to the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). While AI applications currently consume between 10% and 20% of data center electricity, that share is rising as AI technologies like ChatGPT become more popular.

More:

U.S. data center electricity use could rise from 4% today to between 4.6% and 9.1% by 2030, depending on the growth scenario, EPRI projects.
Computation-intensive AI technologies, such as image and video generation, could fuel that growth.
ChatGPT was estimated to use 10 times more electricity than a traditional Google search, consuming 2.9 watt-hours per query compared to 0.3.

Zoom out:

EPRI suggests three strategies to support rapid data center growth, which are improving data center efficiency, enhancing coordination between data center developers and electric companies, and developing better modeling tools to plan needed grid investments.

Quick Hits:

Thinking about growing your business? We'll work as hard as it takes to make Ohio your competitive advantage.*
Google's latest Android update lets users edit RCS Messages up to 15 minutes after sending, the same as Apple's iMessage.
Instagram launched new features to improve interactions on Notes, its platform for sharing short status updates.
French AI startup Mistral AI announced its first code-generating model. Codestral was trained in over 80 programming languages.
Join industry's leading AI conference - free passes available! Register Now! passes are selling quickly.*

*This is sponsored content

Beth Duckett

AI and technology writer

Beth is a contributing editor and writer of Inside's AI and Tech newsletters. She has written for publications including USA Today, the Arizona Business Gazette, and The Arizona Republic, where she received recognition with a Pulitzer Prize nomination and a First Amendment Award for collaborative reporting on state pension cost increases. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com.