Google is actively addressing the AI "fluency gap" by offering free access to its AI Professional Certificate and three months of Google AI Pro or Workspace Business Standard to all U.S. small businesses. This training, which takes under 10 hours, covers practical skills like content generation, data analysis, and app development without coding. Major partners such as Walmart, ADP, and Verizon are collaborating with Google to distribute this program. Additionally, Google recently unveiled five new AI products and innovations, including the Gemini 3.1 Pro model, which features enhanced reasoning and long-context comprehension. The new Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience offers agentic solutions for customer service and shopping, while Agentic Vision for Gemini 3 Flash allows the AI to actively investigate images step-by-step.
In other significant developments, Salesforce has acquired Qualified to integrate "agentic marketing" directly into its revenue architecture. Qualified brings capabilities like visitor intent data, conversational AI, and lead scoring, aiming to bridge the gap between sales and marketing by providing a continuous view of customer journeys. Meanwhile, the artificial intelligence industry continues to be fiercely competitive, a dynamic that benefits consumers through constant innovation and lower costs. Companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI are pushing technological boundaries, with even large players like Google adopting a startup-like agility to maintain pace. This intense competition is seen as crucial for preventing monopolies and accelerating advancements.
The practical application of AI is also seeing focused attention, particularly concerning hardware reliability. A webinar titled "Boot, Blink, and Believe" will soon address why Edge AI hardware frequently fails after its initial boot, highlighting the engineering disciplines needed to transition these systems from lab demos to reliable production. Concurrently, India is emphasizing the need for its own AI evaluation benchmarks to achieve AI sovereignty, arguing that current San Francisco-created benchmarks often miss crucial Indic-language reasoning and cultural context. On the hardware front, Samsung Electronics is boosting its AI capabilities by mass producing HBM4 memory for AI and datacenter customers, and is joining Applied Materials' EPIC Center for next-generation semiconductor research.
Beyond enterprise and infrastructure, AI is also shaping social interactions. The platform 222 utilizes AI to curate groups of people for social gatherings like meals and meetups, selecting attendees based on shared interests and goals. This platform has expanded to over thirteen cities, including New York and London, facilitating meaningful connections. For those building AI, Peter Steinberger, creator of OpenClaw, advises a playful approach to development, emphasizing exploration and experimentation. He suggests that effectively using modern AI models, a skill he calls "vibe coding," takes practice, and encourages developers to build what they want, as those with high agency will be in demand.
Key Takeaways
- Google offers a free AI Professional Certificate and three months of Google AI Pro or Workspace Business Standard to all U.S. small businesses to close the AI skills gap.
- Google launched five new AI products, including Gemini 3.1 Pro for enhanced reasoning and Gemini Enterprise for customer experience, alongside TranslateGemma for 55 languages.
- Salesforce acquired Qualified to integrate "agentic marketing" into its revenue architecture, improving sales and marketing alignment with conversational AI and lead scoring.
- The intense competition in the AI industry, involving companies like Anthropic and OpenAI, drives innovation and lowers costs for consumers and businesses.
- Peter Steinberger, creator of OpenClaw, advises AI builders to approach development with playfulness and experimentation, emphasizing the skill of "vibe coding."
- A webinar will address common failures in Edge AI hardware, focusing on the engineering disciplines required to transition systems from lab demos to reliable production.
- India needs its own AI evaluation benchmarks to achieve AI sovereignty, ensuring AI models address Indic-language reasoning, code-switching, and cultural context.
- Samsung Electronics is mass producing HBM4 memory for AI and datacenters and is partnering with Applied Materials for semiconductor R&D and SEMIFIVE for homomorphic encryption accelerators.
- The social platform 222 uses AI to curate groups for social gatherings based on interests and goals, expanding to over thirteen cities globally.
Google offers free AI training to all US small businesses
Google is providing free access to its AI Professional Certificate and three months of Google AI Pro for every small business in the United States. This initiative aims to address the 'fluency gap' in AI skills, as research shows many managers find AI training vital but few workers are proficient. The training, which takes under 10 hours, covers creative production, data analytics, low-code development, and project management. Major companies like Walmart, ADP, PayPal, and Verizon are partnering with Google to distribute this training to their employees and clients.
Google launches AI certificate to boost worker skills
Google has introduced a new AI Professional Certificate to help close the AI fluency gap for workers and businesses. The company is offering free access to this training for all U.S. small businesses, along with three months of Google Workspace Business Standard. This program teaches practical AI skills in areas like content generation, data analysis, and app development without coding. Employers such as Walmart, Deloitte, and Verizon plan to use the certificate to train their employees, building on Google's decade-long investment in AI skills development.
Salesforce acquires Qualified for agentic marketing
The acquisition of Qualified by Salesforce aims to integrate 'agentic marketing' directly into the core of revenue architecture. Qualified offers capabilities like visitor intent data, conversational AI, lead scoring, and real-time scheduling, which operationalize inbound intent within Salesforce. This integration is seen as crucial for bridging the gap between sales and marketing by providing a continuous view of customer journeys. The partnership allows website engagement to be directly tied to CRM context, improving visibility and actionability for sales teams.
OpenClaw creator advises AI builders to be playful
Peter Steinberger, the creator of OpenClaw, advises AI builders to approach development with playfulness and allow time for improvement. He shared that much of OpenClaw's development was through exploration and experimentation, driven by his desire for specific tools. Steinberger emphasizes that modern AI models are capable of problem-solving, but learning to effectively use them, like 'vibe coding,' is a skill that takes practice. He encourages developers to build what they want and not be discouraged by initial results, as those with high agency will be in demand.
AI competition drives innovation and lowers costs
The artificial intelligence industry, despite its massive value, is becoming fiercely competitive, which is beneficial for everyone. Unlike other industries that have consolidated, leading AI companies are constantly innovating, leading to lower costs and more choices. Companies like Anthropic and OpenAI, though relatively young, are pushing the boundaries, with even large players like Google behaving like startups to keep pace. This intense competition prevents monopolies and accelerates technological advancements for consumers and businesses.
Webinar addresses Edge AI hardware failures
A webinar titled 'Boot, Blink, and Believe – Making Hardware Production-Ready' will discuss why Edge AI hardware often fails after its first boot. The session will cover the engineering disciplines needed to move Edge AI systems from lab demos to reliable production. Hosted by Swapnil Sapre of Ambient Scientific, the webinar will address challenges in validation, manufacturability, and field reliability. It aims to help companies avoid costly errors and delays when transitioning Edge AI designs to high-volume manufacturing.
Google unveils 5 new AI products and Gemini updates
Google has launched five new AI products and innovations in 2026, including the Gemini 3.1 Pro model, which enhances reasoning and long-context comprehension. Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience offers agentic solutions for customer service and shopping, featuring new agents for Google Shopping and food ordering. Agentic Vision for Gemini 3 Flash allows the AI to actively investigate images step-by-step, improving accuracy. Additionally, TranslateGemma on Gemma 3 provides open translation models for 55 languages, built for efficiency and adaptability.
AI platform 222 helps curate social gatherings
The social platform 222 uses AI to curate groups of people who might become friends, organizing events like meals and meetups. The author tried a matcha event arranged by 222, noting that the AI selects attendees based on interests and goals. While the platform relies on AI for group selection, human input is used for choosing event locations. 222 has expanded to over thirteen cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and London, aiming to facilitate meaningful connections beyond typical social apps.
India needs AI evaluation benchmarks for sovereignty
To achieve AI sovereignty, India needs its own evaluation benchmarks rather than relying on those created in San Francisco, according to Forbes. Current benchmarks often miss crucial aspects like Indic-language reasoning, code-switching, and cultural context. While efforts exist to create Indian evaluation systems, they are not integrated into government procurement decisions. India requires standardized benchmarks for government workflows, multilingual voice evaluation, domain-specific testing, and safety aligned with Indian cultural norms to ensure AI serves its users effectively.
Samsung boosts AI memory and security with new deals
Samsung Electronics is expanding its AI capabilities by starting mass production of HBM4 memory for AI and datacenter customers. The company is also joining Applied Materials' EPIC Center in Silicon Valley for next-generation semiconductor research and development. Additionally, Samsung is partnering with Getmobil in Turkey to support the refurbished electronics market and collaborating with SEMIFIVE on fully homomorphic encryption accelerators.
Sources
- Google gives every U.S. small business free AI training — Here's what it means for Ohio
- Google AI Professional Certificate targets workforce gap | ETIH EdTech News
- Salesforce + Qualified: Bringing Agentic Marketing into the Core of the Revenue Architecture
- OpenClaw creator's advice to AI builders is to be more playful and allow yourself time to improve
- Opinion | The Race to Dominate A.I. Is Brutally Competitive. That’s Good for Everyone.
- Webinar: Why Edge AI hardware breaks after first boot - and how to stop it
- Google’s 5 Coolest AI Products And Gemini Innovation In 2026
- Can AI Curate a Great Meal With Strangers?
- India's AI Sovereignty Needs A Scoreboard, Not Just A Model
- Samsung Electronics Deepens AI Memory And Security Push With New Partnerships
Comments
Please log in to post a comment.