Brace yourself, my fellow Android-appreciating amigos: By this time next week, we’re gonna be positively drowning in all things AI. All right — to be fair, we already are fairly suffocated by the scent of generative AI (genAI) these days. But with Google’s annual I/O developers’ conference kickin’ off this coming Tuesday, a whole new wave of over-the-top promises is about to hit hard. At this point, in fact, signs suggest the conference — which traditionally has featured Android and other associated areas as key parts of its keynote — will revolve mostly around Gemini and (a) breathless hype around feats the generative AI technology can theoretically achieve along with (b) demos of things the system can actually do but with ample factual errors and counterproductive inconsistencies (that conveniently won’t be mentioned as part of the conversation). For those of us still living in a land where accuracy matters — and if you’re using any of this stuff for professional purposes in particular, my goodness, I hope you’re among us — all this genAI gobbledygook should be interesting mostly just from a limited, carefully controlled perspective that doesn’t exactly jibe with how tech companies are fighting to framing it. The real meaningful progress here in the Android arena comes down to two key areas that have nothing to do with Gemini or any of the high-profile generative-AI ballyhoo we’ll be hearing about incessantly in the days ahead. If you’re relying on Android for your professional and/or personal life, these are the areas worth watching. [Get fresh Android insight in your inbox with my free Android Intelligence newsletter. Three new things to know and try each Friday!] 1. Stronger Android security It may not always be the sexiest subject around, but it’s hard to argue with the fact that Android security is one of the most important parts of the platform in front of us. And this year, amidst all the Gemini and genAI jibber-jabber, El Googeroo’s cookin’ up some significant improvements around Android security that’ll bring a big boost to our devices’ defenses. Now, for my standard caveat: Android security is far less scary than most headlines make it out to be. The operating system has long sported numerous layers of built-in protection, and the odds of encountering anything truly troubling in the real world are shockingly slim. (Consider: When’s the last time you or anyone you knew had a run-in with any of that nasty “Android malware” we’re always hearing about?) Generally speaking, you’ve really gotta go out of your way — and/or exhibit a complete lack of common sense — to see a serious problem. Even so, extra security can obviously only be a good thing, for business and casual use alike. And as we speak, Google’s sautéing up a slew o’ new security measures that’ll soon be sliding into our lives — including: A new Advanced Protection Mode that enables the most secure possible settings across the operating system itself as well as system-level apps and even third-party apps with a single simple switch An Android Intrusion Detection system that creates an encrypted, locally stored log of system actions and network activity and allows you to search it for potential weak points if you spot any signs of suspicious activity An elevated in-call scam detection option that seeks out signs of someone trying to trick you into sharing sensitive info (including banking access) and stops you before it’s too late A beefier on-device scam protection setup for sensing and warning you about all sorts of scams within messages, with privately and entirely local on-device processing Stronger protections around the factory reset and remote lock processes as well as one-time password access More extensive ongoing scans of already-installed apps to safeguard against any deceptive behavior A security-minded auto-restart system that automatically restarts a device — thus re-encrypting all of its data and requiring a password to unlock and get into anything — anytime it’s been inactive for three consecutive days And expanded access to an Identity Check option that requires biometric authentication to change any sensitive system security settings Some of these elements may be included in the upcoming Android 16 update, while others could show up separately via smaller subsequent rollouts. (Google sometimes even sends these sorts of improvements out through under-the-hood updates to Play-Store-housed Android system elements, which means they reach every device worldwide at the same time — without any reliance on notoriously unreliable device-makers to do the lifting. That happened just recently, in fact, with a new improvement that automatically revokes permissions for any apps that are deemed to be dangerous.) However and whenever they reach us, though, they’re all actively in the works and headed our way. And they’re all excellent illustrations of why, even outside of any more apparent surface-level considerations, Android system upgrades absolutely do matter and should always be a key consideration in any device-buying decision. 2. Smarter Android efficiency Aside from the important but not exactly visible under-the-hood enhancements, Google’s got a trio of truly tantalizing twists under development for Android — and they’re all things you’ll absolutely notice and almost certainly appreciate. First and most exciting for me, personally, is the advent of a platform-wide dock-style taskbar that could completely reimagine how we multitask and get around our devices. It’s seemingly the same concept introduced with the first Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet and available in a limited capacity, in certain large-screen environments, already. If you’ve ever used a computer of any kind, it’ll immediately feel familiar. See for yourself: The Android taskbar, as seen on Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold phone.JR Raphael, IDG That’s it — the bar at the bottom of the screen. But mundane as it may seem, man alive, lemme tell ya: It makes a world of difference in your day-to-day Android experience. That bar, which in its current form can either be summoned on demand with a special swipe gesture or set to remain visible at all times, makes it as easy as can be to pull up any app, anytime — without having to first galumph back to your home screen and wade around to find it. You can hop instantly to any app you’ve got set as a favorite, swiftly switch to any app you’ve used recently, or access your entire app drawer on demand right then and there, even, with just one more tap. Maybe even more interesting yet is the way the taskbar puts Android’s long-out-of-sight and oft-forgotten screen-splitting system front and center for the first time in — well, ever. Just press and hold any icon in the taskbar and drag it up into the main screen area, and…poof: You’ve got both apps visible together. srcset="https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/google-pixel-9-pro-fold-taskbar.webp?quality=50&strip=all 600w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/google-pixel-9-pro-fold-taskbar.webp?resize=289%2C300&quality=50&strip=all 289w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/google-pixel-9-pro-fold-taskbar.webp?resize=162%2C168&quality=50&strip=all 162w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/google-pixel-9-pro-fold-taskbar.webp?resize=81%2C84&quality=50&strip=all 81w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/google-pixel-9-pro-fold-taskbar.webp?resize=463%2C480&quality=50&strip=all 463w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/google-pixel-9-pro-fold-taskbar.webp?resize=347%2C360&quality=50&strip=all 347w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/google-pixel-9-pro-fold-taskbar.webp?resize=241%2C250&quality=50&strip=all 241w" width="600" height="622" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px">The Android taskbar lets you start a split screen simply by dragging an icon up.JR Raphael, IDG I’ve been begging Google to bring this same smart setup to all Android environments, regardless of their screen size, since we first saw the thing in action a couple years back. (You can technically force it to happen on any Android device, incidentally, but it requires some crafty configuring and awkward compromises.) Now, it looks like the company’s listening and we’ll likely see this one in front of us everywhere before long, even if the development hasn’t officially been announced just yet. If that isn’t enough, signs suggest Google’s also cookin’ up a new native Android Desktop Mode that’d let you plug a phone into an external monitor — with a keyboard and mouse connected — and use it like an actual computer. You’d see a fully functional desktop-style interface on the monitor while your phone remains in its standard usable state. It’s similar to systems certain Android device-makers are already offering, but as a native feature built into Android itself, it’d be more broadly available, standardized, and also actively (and consistently) developed and supported. Again, this one isn’t yet official, but it’s plainly being developed out in the open and where anyone can see it. Last but not least, a rather bold new design change is now officially comin’ our way — one that brings bulky elements, bright colors, and all sorts of wacky fonts into Android’s exterior. Like any interface evolution, it’s bound to be divisive. (To wit: I asked readers of my Android Intelligence newsletter what they thought about the look last Friday, following an early leak of the info. As of this writing, 17% say they hate it, 14% say they love it, and everyone else falls somewhere in the middle.) Google, for its part, is convinced the updated visuals will result in an easier-to-use, more efficient Android interface — with “time to tap on key actions decrease[d] by seconds” compared to the current approach. Only time will tell if that holds true for all of us, but combined with all the other incoming elements we just went over, it doesn’t seem like a stretch to say that the Android experience we know and love is on the brink of a near-total reinvention. And despite the all-consuming AI focus we’re certain to see at Google I/O next week, none of this has anything to do with Gemini. Want even more Googley knowledge? Join my Android Intelligence newsletter to get practical tips, personal recommendations, and plain-English perspective on the news that matters.

A recent survey by tech giant IBM came to a conclusion that could send shockwaves through Wall Street and the tech sector writ large. The survey asked whether or not company leaders were reporting that their AI initiatives delivered the expected return on investment.A shockingly small proportion of the surveyed CEOs reported that the tech was delivering on its promises, with only a quarter of the 2,000 respondents answering in the affirmative, while only 16 percent scaled AI across the entire enterprise.A mere half of the CEO respondents indicated they were realizing value from generative AI investments, indicating the tech may be falling far short of some sky-high expectations and billions of dollars spent.Tech leaders have long rung the alarm bells about the dangers of fueling an AI bubble, investing in an unproven tech that's still suffering from widespread hallucinations and a propensity to leak potentially sensitive data. As AI models become more powerful, they're also becoming more prone to hallucinating, not less, highlighting that the industry is heading in the wrong direction.However, company executives are seemingly unperturbed. A whopping 85 percent of the CEOs IBM surveyed expected their investments in AI efficiency and cost savings to return a positive ROI by 2027.The general fear of being left behind by missing the boat on AI is still rampant."At this point, leaders who aren’t leveraging AI and their own data to move forward are making a conscious business decision not to compete," IBM vice chairman Gary Cohn wrote in the report. "As AI adoption accelerates, creating greater efficiency, and productivity gains, the ultimate pay-off will only come to CEOs with the courage to embrace risk as opportunity."But how to leverage AI meaningfully — and convey that vision to workers — is proving extremely difficult.According to a 2024 Gallup poll, only 15 percent of US employees felt that "their organization has communicated a clear AI strategy." Only 11 percent said they feel "very prepared" to work with AI, a drop of six percent from Gallup's 2023 survey.Despite pouring tens of billions of dollars into AI investments and supporting infrastructure expansions, companies are still many years out from turning a profit. When, or if, they'll ever get to the point where AI pays for itself remains to be seen."Are we using GenAI to solve real problems, or just optimizing slide decks?" Curioser.AI CEO Stephen Klein told Forbes.In a study commissioned by Microsoft last year, researchers claimed that for every $1 invested in generative AI, companies would realize an average of $3.70 in return, claims that were never externally validated.How long investors will be willing to prop up an enormous money-burning operation is anybody's guess.More on generative AI: The US Copyright Chief Was Fired After Raising Red Flags About AI AbuseShare This Article

Health & Medicine Humans have shockingly few ways to treat fungal infections Antifungal vaccines and drugs are in the works, but progress is achingly slow Fungi-infested zombies in The Last of Us are hard to kill. Fungal infections are on the rise in the real world, and while they don’t zombify people, there are precious few antifungal treatments. Courtesy of HBO By Tina Hesman Saey 10 seconds ago Fighting fungi isn’t easy. Season two of the streaming series The Last of Us has arrived on Max (light spoilers ahead), bringing viewers back to a world where people combat zombies puppeteered by a mind-controlling fungus. Guns and flames help the characters survive onscreen. In the real world, fighting fungal infections is less action-packed, but no less fraught. At the heart of the show is Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a girl immune to the pandemic fungus. The new season picks up after Joel (Pedro Pascal) saves Ellie from a doctor who wanted to remove her brain to find the source of her immunity and make a cure. Sign up for our newsletter We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.