Search giant, Google has unveiled Duet Artificial Intelligence (AI) for workspace management. Google said the workspace was built to allow users collaborate in real time with other people, adding that now, there is collaboration with AI.

The announcement by the American firm, formed part of the yearly I/O developers’ conference, where it pushed the AI technology deeper into its Android OS and Bard chatbot and emphasised the importance of AI to development.

Google said it has been embedding the power of generative AI across all the Workspace apps. It said these features help users write, organise, visualise, accelerate workflows and have richer meetings and much more.

Introducing Duet AI, Vice President and General Manager, Google Workspace, Aparna Pappu, Duet AI already works behind the scenes in Workspace to help users write—whether it’s refining existing work or helping to get stated in both Gmail and Docs.

“Now we’re bringing this experience to Gmail mobile—imagine being on your phone and having the ability to draft complete responses with just a few words as a prompt. Our initial launch of mobile will be fast-followed by contextual assistance—allowing you to create professional replies that automatically fill in names and other relevant information,” Pappu stated.

With the opportunity to create original images from text, right within Google Slides, the firm said it is embedding Duet AI into Slides so that users can easily generate images with a few words.

saying the real power of these image models is that they can visualise something that has never existed. Turning ideas into action and data into insights with Google Sheets, the Duet AI helps to analyse and act on data in sheets faster than before with automated data classification and the creation of custom plans.

Fostering more meaningful connections in Google Meet, the firm has weaved Duet AI into Meet and introduced the ability to generate unique backgrounds for video calls.

Google explained that this helps users express themselves and deepen connections during video calls while protecting the privacy of their surroundings.

“Imagine a manager celebrating the employee of the month with a visual mashup of their favourite things during a company town hall meeting, or a sales exec jumping on a call with a prospective customer and using a custom background to reflect the customer’s industry or market. It’s a subtle, personal touch to show you care about the people you’re connecting with and what’s important to them. And you can change that visual with an equally stunning and original one—all in just a few clicks,” Google stressed.

The American firm said, while keeping customers in control, there is an understanding that AI is no replacement for the ingenuity, creativity, and smarts of real people.

“We’re designing our products in accordance with Google’s AI principles that keep the user in control, letting AI make suggestions that you’re able to accept, edit, and change. We’ll also deliver the corresponding administrative controls so that IT can set the right policies for their organisation,” it stated.

Google also made other announcements. For instance, there were updates on Bard, the conversational AI service. Vice President and General Manager of Google Assistant and Bard, detailed the addition of Japanese and South Korean language compatibility as the first step on a road to cover 40 languages.

She emphasised the need for an ethical approach, noting further development of the “nascent” large language models will adhere to Google’s AI Principles covering responsible development of the technology.

It also plans to bring more visual information to Bard, either in responses to queries or in user-generated content, by incorporating Google Lens technology into the assistant.

Hsiao detailed the addition of more export options to simplify use of Bard in creating emails and other documents. It plans to broaden the range of Google apps and services the set-up can access to include its Drive cloud storage and Maps services.

Sanusi urged parents wishing to send their children abroad for training to send them to recognised and accredited institutions and ensure that if they train in that country, they can practice here in Nigeria. He urged the inductees to uphold the ethics of medical profession and restore people to improved health.

Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, who was represented by Director, Planning Research and Statistics, Dr Ngozi Azodo said that Nigeria is right now challenged by the exodus of medical doctors and appealed to the inductees to contribute their quota to the strengthening of the nation’s health system and give their best to the society.

Jonathan who was President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015, will be honoured with the African Democracy and Peace Icon Award.

“Jonathan’s name is written in gold for being the first incumbent Nigerian President to cede power peacefully to opposition in the aftermath of an election, a move which saved the country from plunging into speculated crisis in 2015. “I’ve always affirmed, nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian,” he’s famed for saying at the time. His administration brought on board professionals and technocrats, including the likes of WTO’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and AfDB’s Akinwumi Adesina, whose expertise helped in revamping Nigeria’s economy”, the organiser stated.

Ian Khama who was Botswana’s fourth Head of State, will be honoured with the African Philantropist Award for stamping his reputation as an advocate of human rights and respecter of the rule of law.

His foundation, the SKI Khama Foundation, has immensely empowered youths, contributed to the health, education and sports sectors of the country.

Currently serving as Liberia’s 30th Vice President, Howard-Taylor will be bestowed with the African Humanitarian Award. She has been a very visible and involved stateswoman; with a vision for affordable but quality education; transparent justice system; improved and accessible health system; women’s economic and political participation; and an accountable public service system.

The late Magufuli will receive a posthumous African Icon Award for his giant strides during his short stint as President of Tanzania. When he came on board, his government worked to banish a lot of the chronic problems in the Tanzanian administrative and political leadership. He fought a structure riddled by systemic corruption, characterised by ghost workers on payroll, underperformance and laxity in public service and extravagant spending.

Other awardees are: Victoria Nalongo Namusisi, Founder and Executive Director of the Bright Kids Uganda and Uganda’s first female Sports journalist; Simbi Kesiye Wabote, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB); Prof. Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba, Kenyan legal practitioner and Advocate of the High Courts of Kenya and Tanzania; Sir Benedict Peters, Founder and Managing Director/CEO of Aiteo Group.

Howes then responded by saying: “You agreed to donate your kidney, but didn’t plan going through.” He shook his head, reiterating he wasn’t told. When she referred him to page 41, entry 934 in the defence bundle, which was a WhatsApp message from Obeta, asking him to go to the Union Diagnostics Laboratory Centre to do six tests, including abdominal Ultrasound with kidney and blood group. She then asked, “Why did you think Dr. Obeta wanted you to have a rest of kidney and it’s sizes?” Speaking through the Ibo interpreter, Nwamini told the court he thought it was to obtain visa.

When Howes said: “you knew Dr. Obeta insisted your kidneys be measured,” the witness said: he doesn’t know what a kidney is as at then. The Senator, his wife, Beatrice, Sonia and Obeta all watched from the dock until the jury was discharged at noon. Sonia and her mum were excused from the afternoon session because of her ongoing thrice a week, four -hour dialysis appointment.