Google’s recent artificial intelligence (AI) efforts have reportedly calmed fears it was lagging its rivals.
As the Financial Times (FT) reported Sunday (Dec. 22), the tech giant has impressed investors this month with more advanced iterations of its AI models, surpassing competition in benchmark testing.
The company also introduced a new generation of its custom AI accelerator chip — a tensor processing unit (TPU) called Trillium — which is designed to challenge Nvidia’s market dominance, the report added.
In addition, Google’s AI model now includes the ability to act on users’ behalf and compile complex research reports — Project Mariner — and respond to real-time queries across text, video and audio — Project Astra — including using smart glasses. Lastly, it launched video and image generation models called Veo 2 and Imagen 3.
“The last month has transformed the state of AI, with the pace picking up dramatically in just the last week,” said Ethan Mollick, a professor at Wharton business school and author of a book on the technology, characterizing Google’s releases, in particular Veo 2, as “astonishing.”
“This isn’t steady progress — we’re watching AI take uneven leaps past our ability to easily gauge its implications,” Mollick said.
Writing about Google’s latest AI rollouts last week, PYMNTS argued that these developments signal that the system could transform user interactions and task automation. In the business world, these advances suggest possibilities for AI to affect operations ranging from warehouse management to customer service.
“Gemini 2.0 improves on previous AI systems by advancing the capabilities of autonomous decision-making through the integration of more sophisticated AI agents that leverage real-time data processing and adaptive learning models,” Prashant Kelker, chief strategy officer, partner and lead consulting sourcing and transformation – Americas, with global technology research and advisory firm ISG, told PYMNTS.
“As a result, enterprises will need to strengthen the cross-functional alignment between technology, business and compliance teams. As agentic AI goes into production, we are expecting cloud and edge computing capabilities to scale.”
The crucial innovation, that report added, comes from Gemini 2.0’s ability to handle multistep processes with less human oversight. Compared to traditional AI that responds to specific prompts, this system works to autonomously coordinate across platforms, with the potential to manage inventory or processing orders.
“Rather than completely redesigning their eCommerce systems, businesses will likely extend existing accessibility and structured data standards to create an ‘AI-enhanced HTML’ layer that sits between pure visual interfaces and full APIs,” Dev Nag, CEO of QueryPal, a support automation company, told PYMNTS.
We get a lot of press releases here at PYMNTS. We consider all of them, and some are more newsworthy than others. But this one really got our attention. This past week, Diebold Nixdorf made headlines with its announcement of successfully installing two new automated teller machines (ATMs) at the U.S. National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station in Antarctica. This achievement marks a significant milestone in banking accessibility, to be sure. We would like to meet the crew that installed them. We’d also like to know why they needed two. Was there a line at the first one? More to come on that.
According to Diebold, McMurdo Station is Antarctica’s largest research and logistics hub, supporting a fluctuating population that ranges from fewer than 200 residents during the winter months to up to 1,100 individuals during the summer (October through February). The presence of these ATMs is crucial, it says, as the next closest banking facilities are thousands of miles away, making them the only ATMs on the entire continent. How’s that for a value proposition?
The DN Series ATMs are designed for always-on availability. And why do they need two? One ATM is actively in use, while the second serves as a backup for spare parts, ensuring uninterrupted service in this isolated area. These machines are connected to the DN AllConnect Data Engine, which leverages Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor their performance. A dedicated team continuously aggregates and analyzes technical data to identify potential issues, enabling remote diagnostics and repairs. The ATM can be maintained by trained staff at NSF McMurdo Station, or the Diebold Nixdorf service team can remotely guide them through the repair process.
Anyway, it got us thinking. Are there other surprising ATMs in extreme locations? Well, of course, there are. Here’s a sampling of what we found.
At an altitude of about 5,364 meters (17,600 feet), the Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal is another unexpected place to find an ATM. Although it’s not a permanent fixture and is often set up seasonally, it caters to climbers and trekkers who need cash for local transactions. This temporary ATM service underscores the adaptability of banking services in extreme environments.
In some parts of the Amazon rainforest, particularly in Brazil and Peru, ATMs can be found in small villages and towns. These machines are vital for local communities, providing access to cash in areas where digital payment options might be limited. The presence of ATMs here demonstrates how banking services can reach even the most remote communities.
Located in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Nagqu is home to one of the highest ATMs in the world. This region is very remote, with limited infrastructure, making the presence of an ATM a notable example of banking accessibility in extreme environments.
In the Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu) off the coast of Jakarta, Indonesia, there’s a floating ATM. This unique ATM serves the local community and tourists on the islands, demonstrating how banking services can adapt to isolated marine environments.
Longyearbyen, the administrative center of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway, boasts the most northerly ATM. This location is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth, with limited access to mainland Norway, making the ATM a vital service for residents and visitors.
On a more serious note, the installation of ATMs in places like Antarctica and other remote locations highlights the evolving nature of banking technology. With advancements in IoT, AI and remote diagnostics, it’s becoming increasingly feasible to provide banking services in areas previously considered inaccessible. As we look to the future, it will be interesting to see where else ATMs might appear. Whether it’s on a remote island, at the top of a mountain or even in space, the ability to access cash is becoming more universal than ever. And who knows? Maybe one day, we’ll see an ATM on Mars, serving the first interplanetary travelers.
For now, the presence of ATMs in unexpected places reminds us that banking is not just about transactions; it’s about connecting people and communities across the globe, no matter how remote they might be.
