Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Aviva CEO Amanda Blanc testified about misogyny in British finance, Cambridge University researchers make a morning sickness breakthrough, and Google’s VP for Bard has some lofty goals for the chatbot. Have a restorative weekend!
– Chatbot goals. Coins2Day closed out its 2023 events calendar with a timely conference this week: Brainstorm AI. The gathering brought together top leaders in artificial intelligence after an eventful year that included new attention from regulators and the general public.
The program kicked off with a woman to know in AI: Sissie Hsiao, a Google vice president who oversees Bard, Google’s ChatGPT competitor. Hsiao is a Microsoft alum who held several roles at Google before leaping into generative AI. Much of her resume is in Google’s ads business, where she led advertiser-facing products like AdSense. Recently, Hsiao joined the board of Bumble.
In an interview with Coins2Day senior writer Jeremy Kahn, Hsiao discussed many of the hottest topics in AI—including a controversial recent demo video for Google’s Gemini large language model.
Hsiao shared some of her favorite use cases based on Google’s current AI capabilities and what it will be able to do in the future. Recently, she asked the Gemini model to pair wine with dishes for a multiple-course dinner after viewing a restaurant’s menu and wine list. “It actually did fabulously,” she said. “Even something as simple as taking a picture of something and asking a question or for the bot to do something for you will become second nature.”
Hsiao said her coworker who speaks English as a second language turns to Bard to rewrite his emails and make them more professional.
But what Hsiao most wants Bard to accomplish in her personal life is something many parents will relate to: book summer camps for her kids. “I have two kids that have different interests. I need to find camps every week of the summer that are within driving distance where I can pick them up and drop them off,” she explained. “This is really hard, right? You have to think about all the reasoning that goes into that.” Right now, she said, Bard can offer three options per child per week. “But wouldn’t it be awesome,” she added, “if I could just say, ‘Please now book this?’ We’re almost there.”
For more on Bard, Gemini, and Google’s approach to AI, you can watch Hsiao’s full interview here.
Emma Hinchliffe
[email protected]
@_emmahinchliffe
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ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- History in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, the company that runs the city's stock exchange, has named Bonnie Chan its new CEO, effective in May. Chan, one of HKEX's co-chief operating officers, will be the first woman to run the exchange, which is pushing for diversity among its listed firms. SCMP
- First-hand experience. Aviva CEO Amanda Blanc, head of England’s Women in Finance Charter, told British lawmakers of the finance industry's misogynistic culture as part of a probe into sexism in London's financial district. Blanc, who was told she was not “the man for the job” at a shareholder meeting last year, shared stories of exclusion and harassment she received from other women in the field and described the industry's predatory approach to younger women. Bloomberg
- Defunding DEI. O klahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order on Wednesday that stops state agencies from using state money to fund diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and related staff. Oklahoma's colleges and universities are subject to the order, a move Gov. Stitt claims will take politics and racial discrimination out of higher education. Tulsa World
- Morning glory. Researchers from Cambridge University say they’ve identified a hormone called GDF15 that's responsible for morning sickness; the discovery could lead to better treatments. One of the study's coauthors Marlena Fejzo suffered extreme morning sickness herself and kept pursuing a genetic study of the often-dismissed condition even after the National Institutes of Health refused to fund her research. New York Times
- Dollywood. A Barbie-esque American Girl movie based on the dolls of the same name is in the works at Paramount Pictures and Temple Hill Entertainment, toy manufacturer Mattel announced. Lindsey Anderson Beer, who most recently wrote and directed Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, is currently attached to the project. Forbes
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Coupa announced Susan Tohyama as chief human resources officer. Sila named Abbey Omokhodion as chief financial officer. Audible appointed Diana Dapito to lead consumer content for North America, Kate Navin to lead creative development for North America, and Rhonda Adams Medina as head of business affairs.
ON MY RADAR
Princess Anne was the monarchy’s MVP during the first full year of King Charles’s reign Vanity Fair
Tara Reid feels the love Bustle
Getting an IUD hurts. Why aren't more women offered relief? New York Times
PARTING WORDS
"Perfection is the enemy of almost everything that’s important."
—Actress and environmental activist Emma Watson, who believes you don't need to be perfect to make a difference
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