Google users outraged after encountering unwanted, intrusive ad in direct messages
Thanks to Google, its Gemini AI chatbot is now forcing its way into people's direct messages. One Google user posted a screenshot of their messages inbox to Reddit, with a fake text from Gemini appearing at the top of the pile. The post was shared with the r/a**holedesign community, where folks post various examples of "underhanded" design that inconveniences people or is intrusive.
In this case, this individual is basically having advertising forced upon them for a product they have little or no intention of using. Unfortunately, the presence of advertising is increasing in our daily lives. People are even being sold things at the beach and on their commute — in some cases, it's annoying, but in the latter case, it can be really unsafe. Not only does this encourage the consumption of things we don't need — which is incredibly wasteful and a drain on personal finances — but in the case of AI, it's promoting something harmful to the planet.
In the midst of AI's impact on energy consumption, it's essential to look at the bigger picture. Despite its undoubted positive uses — such as in improved farming methods, wildfire prevention, and forest restoration — AI is also extremely energy intensive. According to the International Energy Agency, large data centers can use as much energy as needed to power 400,000 electric vehicles. In fact, using the popular AI platform ChatGPT for a search can use 10 times as much energy as a typical Google search, according to RW Digital.
Google recognized that its use of AI has increased its energy consumption, with its planet-warming gas pollution rising by 48% in the last five years as demand on its data centers rose, as the Guardian detailed. Other Redditors had seen similar advertisements in their inbox and offered advice on how to stop it.
"Yeah, they did this to me, and you can't just swipe it away," one user said. "Blocking the 'number' gets rid of it." "I marked this s*** as spam," added another.
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