I'm being asked why I think #Google is pulling the standard "Undo" function out many Chrome text input right-click context menus, and replacing that menu selection (without any advance warning or explanation) with their AI-based "Help me write".

I don't know, but I can guess. I suspect it was something like this at a team meeting:

"Hey, word is that we really need to up the AI engagement metrics. What haven't we covered yet? [ laughter ]"

"Well, we could get rid of context menus Undo and replace it with an AI selection. Then when users right-click during text input, they'll get the "Help me write" prompt where they've pretty much always expected undo to be."

"I like that. It'll be right in their faces. Do you think there will be any blowback from people not finding Undo in those context menus anymore?"

"Naw, pretty much everyone knows the keyboard shortcut for undo is Control-Z. They can just use the shortcut. Only a fool wouldn't know that. And we don't care about fools!"

"Absolutely. OK, I'm in. Should there be any kind of warning or explanation for this?"

"No way -- let it be a surprise to the users! More impact!"

"Wow, I can feel those AI engagement metrics going up already!"

"Great work, team! All AI, all the time!"

AI Inside is PUBLISHED! Come and get it!

@jeffjarvis @MikeElgan and I talk all about #Google's IO/AI announcements, #OpenAI ChatGPT-4o, and the direction of voice chatbots!

WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoqUzbHamRo
DONATE: http://www.patreon.com/aiinsideshow
SUBSCRIBE: https://aiinside.show/episode/google-gemini-and-the-wall-of-noise

Reminder: Control-Z (^Z) is UNDO! In their continuing push to force AI down users' throats, #Google has removed the standard "Undo" option from the top of many right-click text input context menus as displayed by the Chrome browser, replacing it with a useless "Help me write" function (protip: Do your writing yourself!).

Whether or not you still currently see Undo in various situations likely depends on your browser version, but clearly the replacing of Undo with "Help me write" is well under way.

Google's removal of the widely used and pretty much universally forever undo function is already causing problems for users who have been using it for many years and are unfamiliar with the associated shortcut. This really is a slap in the face to nontechie users in particular who tend to rely on context menus and not shortcuts.

So yeah, you can use keyboard Control-Z to UNDO, but if you don't already know that, you're screwed, because Google removed Undo from the menus without any warning or explanation. How Google has fallen.

Google now offers ‘web’ search — and an AI opt-out button

This is not a joke: Google will now let you perform a “web” search. It’s rolling out “web” searches now, and in my early tests on desktop, it’s looking like it could be an incredibly popular change to Google’s search engine.

The optional setting filters out almost all the other blocks of content that Google crams into

https://www.osnews.com/story/139691/google-now-offers-web-search-and-an-ai-opt-out-button/

#Google

@Mer__edith on the 🐦:

«This is incredibly dangerous. It lays the path for centralized, device-level client side scanning.

From detecting 'scams' it's a short step to "detecting patterns commonly associated w/ seeking reproductive care" or "commonly associated w/ providing LGBTQ resources" or "commonly associated with tech worker whistleblowing."»

Referring to the #Google tech to analyze conversation patterns in real time

h/t @adfichter
https://twitter.com/mer__edith/status/1790692059059200017
https://twitter.com/madebygoogle/status/1790449419684573288

How about they help me by leaving me the **** alone?

I don't think they're capable of implementing that feature.

#Google #Meta #Privacy

Ugh. Am I the only one who finds it kind of creepy when she just looks out the window and says "What neighborhood am I in right now?" and Google's cyberstalker tells her exactly where she is?

#Privacy #Google #Meta #ProjectAstra #SurveillanceCapitalism

PSA: Google has now begun to roll-out the Ad Topics "feature" onto Android itself. It's not just in Chrome you have to disable the settings. Please #Boost to spread awareness.

If you didn't get the pop-up screen on your Android device (it looks like the first two screenshots), to opt-out of these settings:

1. Go to your device Settings
2. Press "Google"
3. Press "Ads"
   
   • While you're here, press the "Delete Advertising ID" button and delete it

   
   

4. Press "Ad Privacy"
5. Review: "Ad Topics", "App-suggested ads", and "App Measurement". Make sure all are labelled as "OFF". (This page will look like the third screenshot)

If you don't see "Ad Privacy" in Step 4 then it means that it hasn't been rolled out to you yet. You might need to wait and check back in a couple of days to see if/when it has been implemented to disable these settings.

EDIT: There's another setting to review. In step 2, scroll to "Personalize using shared data". Turn everything off.

Pt. 2 in Replies

#Android #Google #Privacy #AdTopics

They use #openstreetmap?
#Niantic was part of #Google.

So now we have people ruining Openstreetmap data, brilliant.

#Google apparently has removed (as far as I can tell) the incredibly standard and important UNDO function from Chrome right-click context menus, replacing it with a useless "Help me write" AI choice. UNBELIEVABLE.

If you're in the know, you can do an UNDO with Control-Z. If you're not in the know and depend on context menus --- apparently Google just doesn't care. Surprise!

Unfortunately I think the „remote work“ and „work from home“ culture contributed a lot to it. It made it totally acceptable to work with people that you won’t meet anyway in reality.

If you're job can be done from home, it can also be done from India.

Thats the reallity we are living now.

#google #stevejobs #layoffs #workfromhome #remotework

Oh hey, Google is at it again, trying to block me from keeping my sanity while watching videos on Youtube.

I tried a video without uBlock "just for funz” : I had one ad before the start of the video, followed by an ad cut every ~2 minutes. The video was 24 minutes, I wasn’t even able to reach the middle before rage quitting 😐

It this the state of the web for people without ad blockers ? What a sad shitshow...

#youtube #adware #ads #adblocking #google #enshittification

I just don’t understand why Google is behaving like this… they seemed like such good people when they were just tracking your every move on the Internet and off to create detailed and constantly updated profiles of you to exploit for profit. What went wrong at this trillion-dollar surveillance capitalist?

#google #israel #palestine #gaza #apartheid #ethnicCleansing #genocide #surveillance #capitalism #peopleFarming

Google is crushing Tuta via search results.

Intentional or not, as a gatekeeper #Google must offer fair competition for our private email service Tuta Mail - a direct competitor to #Gmail.

Google must stop its abuse of power which is in violation of the EU #DMA.

👉 https://tuta.com/blog/google-search-problem