Agosto, 2022

Before Chrome browser was even launched, the Chrome team was working behind the scenes to create a different browsing experience: one that was both personalized and helpful. This mission has remained central to the Chrome team’s values as we continuously strive to make the web work better for you, building a browser to make your daily life more simple, efficient, and organized. As Chrome celebrated its 100th update earlier this year, we thought it fitting to honor this milestone by asking the people who make Chrome to share how their own innovations are helpful in their daily lives.

Commuting smarter with recent tabs

My team is constantly thinking of ways to make sure Chrome meets the needs of iPhone users, no matter where they are. Chrome on iPhone is essential to my daily routine, when I use my pesky metro commute to get some quick, simple to-dos out of the way before arriving at the office. Many of these tasks are continuation of what I started on desktop, and Chrome’s “recent tabs” feature allows me easy access on my iPhone. When I’m signed in and syncing, my in-office work blends seamlessly into my commute, without the stress of trying to remember what I was doing or hunting down URLs.

– Nasim Sedeghat, Chrome iOS product lead

Using tab groups…to make tab groups

My open tabs are often a direct reflection of my state of mind: the messier they are, the more I’ve got going on. Tab groups help me organize my thoughts, where I use titles to give context and color schemes to find where I left off. I started using tab groups before we had even finished developing them, in an effort to coordinate the project. In many ways, tab groups were responsible for their own creation, since we wouldn’t have made it to launch without them!

– Connie Wan, software engineering manager, Chrome desktop user interface

Tracking down tabs with Tab Search

While I aspire to keep things neat and tidy in Chrome, the reality is that after a day of back-to-back meetings and checking up on Chrome engineering projects, my tabs accumulate faster than I can organize them into groups (Though I love using tab groups, too!). Tab Search comes to my rescue by allowing me to directly look up an existing tab. It instantly narrows the list as you type — and it includes not only open tabs, but also the tabs I closed just a few moments ago.

– Max Christoff, senior director of Chrome browser engineering

Getting faster results with Site Search

As a user experience (UX) designer, much of my role is centered around making sure Chrome is accessible and enjoyable. I spend a lot of time jumping across multiple files or conducting quick website searches, making Chrome’s site search one of my personal favorite features. Rather than first navigating to a specific site, and then clicking into the site’s search field, site search gives me faster access by letting me start my search from the Chrome address bar. I type the site shortcut, press tab then add my search term so the page loads with exactly what I want to find.

– Elvin Hu, Chrome UX interaction designer

Troubleshooting video calls with site permissions

Over the last few years, I’ve spent a lot of time on video calls, and I’m so glad I can stay in touch with my loved ones this way. When video calls don’t go quite as planned, I troubleshoot by having everyone check their site permissions. You can access this easily on Chrome through thelock icon, located in the address bar. From here, make sure that “Microphone” and “Camera” are turned on. And if a website has been bugging you with too many notifications, this is the same place where you can turn those off. The lock icon remains a favorite feature of mine, especially since my team has always celebrated giving users control over their settings.

– Meggyn Watkins, senior UX writer, trust and safety

If you’re like me, you may have noticed that AI has become a part of daily life. I wake up each morning and ask my smart assistant about the weather. I recently applied for a new credit card and the credit limit was likely determined by a machine learning model. And while typing the previous sentence, I got a word choice suggestion that “probably” might flow better than “likely,” a suggestion powered by AI.

As a member of Google’s Responsible Innovation team, I think a lot about how AI works and how to develop it responsibly. Recently, I spoke with Patrick Gage Kelley, Head of Research Strategy on Google’s Trust & Safety team, to learn more about developing products that help people recognize and understand AI in their daily lives.

How do you help people navigate a world with so much AI?

My goal is to ensure that people, at a basic level, know how AI works and how it impacts their lives. AI systems can be really complicated, but the goal of explaining AI isn’t to get everyone to become programmers and understand all of the technical details — it’s to make sure people understand the parts that matter to them.

When AI makes a decision that affects people (whether it’s recommending a video or qualifying for a loan), we want to explain how that decision was made. And we don’t want to just provide a complicated technical explanation, but rather, information that is meaningful, helpful, and equips people to act if needed.

We also want to find the best times to explain AI. Our goal is to help people develop AI literacy early, including in primary and secondary education. And when people use products that rely on AI (everything from online services to medical devices), we want to include a lot of chances for people to learn about the role AI plays, as well as its benefits and limitations. For example, if people are told early on what kinds of mistakes AI-powered products are likely to make, then they are better prepared to understand and remedy situations that might arise.

Do I need to be a mathematician or programmer to have a meaningful understanding of AI?

No! A good metaphor here is financial literacy. While we may not need to know every detail of what goes into interest rate hikes or the intricacies of financial markets, it’s important to know how they impact us — from paying off credit cards, to buying a home, or paying for student loans. In the same way, AI explainability isn’t about understanding every technical aspect of a machine learning algorithm – it’s about knowing how to interact with it and how it impacts our daily lives.

How should AI practitioners — developers, designers, researchers, students, and others — think about AI explainability?

Lots of practitioners are doing important work on explainability. Some focus on interpretability, making it easier to identify specific factors that influence a decision. Others focus on providing “in-the-moment explanations” right when AI makes a decision. These can be helpful, especially when carefully designed. However, AI systems are often so complex that we can’t rely on in-the-moment explanations entirely. It’s just too much information to pack into a single moment. Instead, AI education and literacy should be incorporated into the entire user journey and built continuously throughout a person’s life.

More generally, AI practitioners should think about AI explainability as fundamental to the design and development of the entire product experience. At Google, we use our AI Principles to guide responsible technology development. In accordance with AI Principle #4: “Be accountable to people,” we encourage AI practitioners to think about all the moments and ways they can help people understand how AI operates and makes decisions.

How are you and your collaborators working to improve explanations of AI?

We develop resources that help AI practitioners learn creative ways to incorporate AI explainability in product design. For example, in the PAIR Guidebook we launched a series of ethical case studies to help AI practitioners think through tricky issues and hone their skills for explaining AI. We also do fundamental research like this paper to learn more about how people perceive AI as a decision-maker, and what values they would like AI-powered products to embody.

We’ve learned that many AI practitioners want concrete examples of good explanations of AI that they can build on, so we’re currently developing a story-driven visual design toolkit for explanations of a fictional AI app. The toolkit will be publicly available, so teams in startups and tech companies everywhere can prioritize explainability in their work.

I want to learn more about AI explainability. Where should I start?

This February, we released an Applied Digital Skills lesson, “Discover AI in Daily Life.” It’s a great place to start for anyone who wants to learn more about how we interact with AI everyday.

We also hope to speak about AI explainability at the upcoming South by Southwest Conference. Our proposed session would dive deeper into these topics, including our visual design toolkit for product designers. If you’re interested in learning more about AI explainability and our work, you can vote for our proposal through the SXSW PanelPicker® here.

Welcome to the latest edition of “My Path to Google,” where we talk to Googlers, interns, apprentices and alumni about how they got to Google, what their roles are like and even some tips on how to prepare for interviews.

Today’s post is all about Johnson Jose, a Google Cloud leader based in Bangalore, India with a passion for shaping the future of cloud technology.

What’s your role at Google?

I lead the Application Engineering team in Google Cloud India, which builds tools and platforms to help onboard our partners. I spend most of my time in technical discussions, but I also meet with both internal and external partners to stay plugged into what’s happening in the cloud industry.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I grew up in Kerala, India and received a masters degree in engineering, followed by my MBA. I’ve also written two books, one about data quality excellence and the other about cloud development operations. I’m currently writing my third book about business management — stay tuned. When I’m not working, I love to hike and try new dishes.

How would you describe your path to your current role at Google?

I started my career working in cloud transformation at a few different companies, where I learned about local area networks, routing and switching technologies. I had always wanted to work at Google and I actually got the chance to work with Google Cloud as one of my clients. So when a Google recruiter approached me, I took the opportunity.

What inspires you to come in (or log in) every day?

I’m very passionate about cloud technology, and I enjoy knowing my work is shaping cloud infrastructure today and in the future. We’re influencing the future of the internet, simplifying and improving how quickly people can connect and work. Of course, I’m also inspired by my team and our amazing workplace. We have great food and a world-class gym.

What have you learned about leadership since joining Google?

Leadership at Google is rooted in inclusivity and respect. I remember when I joined, my own management team, who’s based all around the world, rearranged the entire meeting schedule to accommodate my time zone. And there’s a strong focus on the wellbeing of our teams. I’ve also learned you don’t need to be a senior leader to lead at Google. Everyone can teach and make an impact.

How did the application and interview process go for you?

I remember being impressed with how well my recruiter explained the interview process. From start to finish, the entire experience was professional, respectful and transparent. I actually interviewed right in the middle of the pandemic and needed some flexibility to help my previous company navigate through that time. Google was very respectful of that.

Do you have any tips you’d like to share with aspiring Googlers?

First, preparation is key. Take advantage of the many resources and videos available online, including on the Google Careers site. For the interview, focus on your strengths and be confident about your work. Remember to also be curious and ask for clarification so it’s a discussion rather than a one-sided process. If you’re interviewing for the Google Application Engineering team specifically, showcase your domain expertise and experience in writing well-structured programs. Google wants to hire you for you – don’t be afraid of the interview and focus on enjoying it!