Google’s language model, Bard, is receiving a significant update today that aims to improve its logic and reasoning capabilities.

Jack Krawczyk, the Product Lead for Bard, and Amarnag Subramanya, the Vice President of Engineering for Bard, announced in a blog post.

A Leap Forward In Reasoning & Math

These updates aim to improve Bard’s ability to tackle mathematical tasks, answer coding questions, and handle string manipulation prompts.

To achieve this, the developers incorporate “implicit code execution.” This new method allows Bard to detect computational prompts and run code in the background, enabling it to respond more accurately to complex tasks.

“As a result, it can respond more accurately to mathematical tasks, coding questions and string manipulation prompts,” the Google team shared in the announcement.

System 1 and System 2 Thinking: A Blend of Intuition and Logic

The approach used in the update takes inspiration from the well-studied dichotomy in human intelligence, as covered in Daniel Kahneman’s book, “Thinking, Fast and Slow.”

The concept of “System 1” and “System 2” thinking is central to Bard’s improved capabilities.

System 1 is fast, intuitive, and effortless, akin to a jazz musician improvising on the spot.

System 2, however, is slow, deliberate, and effortful, comparable to carrying out long division or learning to play an instrument.

Large Language Models (LLMs), such as Bard, have typically operated under System 1, generating text quickly but without deep thought.

Traditional computation aligns more with System 2, being formulaic and inflexible yet capable of producing impressive results when correctly executed.

“LLMs can be thought of as operating purely under System 1 — producing text quickly but without deep thought,” according to the blog post. However, “with this latest update, we’ve combined the capabilities of both LLMs (System 1) and traditional code (System 2) to help improve accuracy in Bard’s responses.”

A Step Closer To Improved AI Capabilities

The new updates represent a significant step forward in the AI language model field, enhancing Bard’s capabilities to provide more accurate responses.

However, the team acknowledges that there’s still room for improvement:

“Even with these improvements, Bard won’t always get it right… this improved ability to respond with structured, logic-driven capabilities is an important step toward making Bard even more helpful.”

While the improvements are noteworthy, they present potential limitations and challenges.

It’s plausible that Bard may not always generate the correct code or include the executed code in its response.

There could also be scenarios where Bard might not generate code at all. Further, the effectiveness of the “implicit code execution” could depend on the complexity of the task.

In Summary

As Bard integrates more advanced reasoning capabilities, users can look forward to more accurate, helpful, and intuitive AI assistance.

However, all AI technology has limitations and drawbacks.

As with any tool, consider approaching it with a balanced perspective, understanding the capabilities and challenges.

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Microsoft Advertising details several important updates and expansions in its June product roundup.

The new tools and features aim to enhance website performance analytics, improve cross-device conversion tracking, expand into new global markets, and integrate more seamlessly with other platforms.

Introducing Universal Event Tracking Insights

This month’s standout news is the introduction of Universal Event Tracking (UET) insights, a feature that gives advertisers a deeper understanding of their website’s performance.

The new feature requires no additional coding and will enhance the capabilities of existing UET tags.

“We’re introducing UET insights, a valuable new feature that we’ll add to your existing UET tags with no additional coding required from you. You’ll get a deeper understanding of your website’s performance and also enable Microsoft Advertising to optimize your ad performance more effectively via improved targeting, fraud detection, and reduced conversion loss.”

The new insights tool will roll out automatically starting July 3.

Cross-Device Conversion Attribution Update

Microsoft Advertising is introducing a cross-device attribution model later this month.

This update will enable advertisers to track and connect customers’ conversion journeys across multiple devices and sessions.

Microsoft explains the new feature in a blog article: “For example, if a user clicks on an ad using their laptop but converts on their phone, we’ll now credit that conversion to the initial ad click on the laptop.”

While the update doesn’t introduce new features or settings, advertisers may notice a slight increase in the number of conversions due to improved accuracy.

Expanding to New Markets

In line with its expansion push throughout 2022, Microsoft Advertising announces it’s expanding its advertising reach to 23 new markets.

The new additions include diverse locations ranging from Antigua and Barbuda to Wallis and Futuna.

This expansion allows advertisers to reach their audiences in more parts of the world.

Seamless Integration With Pinterest & Dynamic Remarketing

Microsoft Advertising is releasing Pinterest Import in all markets via the Microsoft Audience Network (MSAN), allowing advertisers to import campaigns from Pinterest Ads.

Further, Dynamic remarketing on MSAN for Autos, Events & Travel is now available in the US, Canada, and the UK.

The remarketing tool enables advertisers to use their feeds to create rich ad experiences on the Microsoft Audience Network and match their target audience with items in their feed where they’ve shown interest.

In Summary

Key takeaways from the June product roundup include the automatic rollout of UET Insights starting July 3, introducing a new cross-device attribution model, expanding into 23 new global markets, and enhanced integration with Pinterest via the Microsoft Audience Network.

These developments collectively offer advertisers increased insight into campaign performance, improved accuracy in conversion tracking, and more opportunities to reach audiences worldwide.

Source: Microsoft
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Apple’s recently announced Safari 17 brings several key updates that promise to enhance user experience and web page loading times.

Unveiled at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC23), two new features of Safari 17 worth paying attention to are JPEG XL support and expanded capabilities of font-size-adjust.

As Safari continues to evolve, these updates highlight the ever-changing landscape of web development and the importance of adaptability.

JPEG XL: A Game Changer For Page Speed Optimization

One of the most noteworthy features of Safari 17 is its support for JPEG XL, a new image format that balances image quality and file size.

JPEG XL allows for the recompression of existing JPEG files without any data loss while significantly reducing their size—by up to 60%.

Page loading speed is a crucial factor that search engines consider when ranking websites. With JPEG XL, publishers can drastically reduce the file size of images on their sites, potentially leading to faster page loads.

Additionally, the support for progressive loading in JPEG XL means users can start viewing images before the entire file is downloaded, improving the user experience on slower connections.

This benefits websites targeting regions with slower internet speeds, enhancing user experience and potentially reducing bounce rates.

Font Size Adjust: Improving User Experience & Consistency

Safari 17 expands the capabilities of font-size-adjust, a CSS property that ensures the visual size of different fonts remains consistent across all possible combinations of fallback fonts.

By allowing developers to pull the sizing metric from the main font and apply it to all fonts, the from-font value can help websites maintain a consistent visual aesthetic, which is critical for user experience.

Conversely, the two-value syntax provides more flexibility in adjusting different font metrics, supporting a broader range of languages and design choices.

Websites with consistent and clear text display, irrespective of the font in use, will likely provide a better user experience. A better experience could lead to longer visits and higher engagement.

Reimagining SEO Strategies With Safari 17

Given these developments, SEO professionals may need to adjust their strategies to leverage the capabilities of Safari 17 fully.

This could involve:

• Image Optimization: With support for JPEG XL, SEO professionals might need to consider reformatting their website images to this new format.
• Website Design: The expanded capabilities of font-size-adjust could require rethinking design strategies. Consistent font sizes across different languages and devices can improve CLS, one of Google’s core web vitals.
• Performance Tracking: SEO professionals will need to closely monitor the impact of these changes on website performance metrics once the new version of Safari rolls out.

In Summary

Apple’s Safari 17 brings new features that provide opportunities to improve several website performance factors crucial for SEO.

Detailed documentation on these Safari 17 updates is available on the official WebKit blog for those interested in delving deeper into these features.

Featured Image: PixieMe/Shutterstock