#Power Cloud Consulting

[marymillerblogs]

How Automation in Factoring Can Transform Your Cash Flow: Insights from Industry Experts

Have you ever wondered how businesses can manage cash flow more efficiently while minimizing manual errors and delays? The answer lies in automation. By automating the factoring process, businesses can streamline operations, access cash faster, and enhance their cash flow. This article explores how automation in factoring optimizes cash flow management, providing key insights to improve your business’s factoring process.

What is Factoring?

Factoring is the process where businesses sell their accounts receivable to a third-party (factor) to get immediate cash. This is crucial for companies seeking to maintain liquidity while waiting for customer payments.

Traditional Factoring vs. Modern Automated Factoring:

Traditional Factoring: Involves manual submission, approval, and tracking of invoices, often causing delays and errors.

Automated Factoring: Uses advanced software to streamline invoice processing and minimize errors, accelerating access to cash and improving accuracy.

How Automation Transforms Factoring

Automation brings significant improvements to factoring by enhancing key areas like invoice processing, credit risk assessment, and payment tracking. Here’s how automation can transform your factoring process:

Invoice Processing: Automated solutions eliminate manual data entry, speeding up invoice submission and reducing human errors.

Credit Risk Assessment: Automation provides real-time risk analysis, enabling better decisions on factoring transactions.

Payment Tracking: Automated systems offer real-time visibility into payment status, helping businesses optimize cash flow.

Automation improves efficiency, enhances accuracy, and reduces processing times. Experts agree that these improvements lead to a more reliable cash flow.

Best Practices for Implementing Automation in Factoring

Successfully integrating automation into factoring requires attention to key factors:

Select the Right Automation Tools: Choose a solution that aligns with your business needs and can handle complex factoring scenarios.

Integrate with Existing Systems: Ensure the automation software works smoothly with your ERP or accounting systems for seamless operations.

Team Training: Equip your team to work alongside automation by providing training on monitoring and managing workflows effectively.

Monitor and Optimize: Regularly assess your automated processes to identify and eliminate bottlenecks, ensuring continuous improvement.

Expert Insights: Industry Trends and the Future of Automation in Factoring

The future of factoring automation lies in the integration of AI and machine learning, which are set to enhance decision-making and predictive analysis. Emerging trends include:

AI-Powered Risk Assessment: AI-powered solutions are transforming risk assessment in factoring by analyzing large datasets in real-time. These systems can track payment histories, assess creditworthiness, and predict future customer behavior.

Advanced Analytics: Machine learning algorithms are enhancing advanced analytics by identifying patterns and trends in factoring transactions. These insights help businesses not only to optimize their current operations but also to forecast future cash flow needs. Predictive analysis ensures better resource allocation and planning, making it easier to manage liquidity and improve operational efficiency.

As these technologies evolve, businesses leveraging automation will have a significant advantage in managing their cash flow more efficiently.

How Can PowerFactoring Help Transform Your Cash Flow Through Automation?

PowerFactoring is a robust tool designed to automate factoring within NetSuite, offering a variety of features that can transform your cash flow:

View Invoices with Issues: PowerFactoring’s system automatically detects discrepancies or issues with invoices during updates, allowing businesses to quickly resolve them before they cause delays. This proactive detection ensures that potential cash flow interruptions are minimized and payments are processed efficiently.

Factor Historical Invoices: Automating the factoring of historical invoices or bills eliminates the manual tracking of older accounts, providing a steady cash flow even from previously completed transactions, ensuring liquidity is maintained across time.

Handle Complex Scenarios: PowerFactoring is equipped to manage intricate factoring scenarios with ease. Its customizable configurations and intuitive workflows allow businesses to adapt the system to their specific needs, handling multiple parties, variable payment terms, or complex receivable/payable shifts.

Conclusion

Automation in factoring is transforming cash flow management, enabling faster access to funds, reducing errors, and providing real-time insights. Solutions like PowerFactoring from Power Cloud Consulting allow businesses to automate their accounts receivable and payable processes, improving efficiency and boosting cash flow. By adopting these technologies, companies can focus more on growth and less on administrative burdens.

[bdccglobal]

Uncover the power of AWS with our carousel of key findings! Dive into essential AWS statistics and unlock insights you didn't know you needed.

[getoncrm]

Power up your sales with solar panels! Our distributor has streamlined online sales using Salesforce Commerce Cloud with the help of GetOnCRM Consulting. Say goodbye to complex processes and hello to seamless transactions. Let's harness the power commerce cloud and drive your business forward!

[cyberswift-story]

Leveraging AI in Salesforce Development

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing Salesforce development by infusing intelligence into traditional CRM processes. AI allows Salesforce to evolve from a static data management platform into a dynamic, insight-driven system that can predict, recommend, and automate key functions. With AI, Salesforce development is now more about building solutions that are not just reactive but proactive.

Know more at: https://www.cyberswift.com/blog/leveraging-ai-in-salesforce-development/

[jcmarchi]

Amazon commits $230M to boost generative AI startups

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/amazon-commits-230m-to-boost-generative-ai-startups/

Amazon commits $230M to boost generative AI startups

Amazon has announced a commitment of up to $230 million to support startups developing generative AI-powered applications.

With approximately $80 million allocated to Amazon’s second AWS Generative AI Accelerator program, this significant investment aims to position AWS as the preferred cloud infrastructure for startups creating generative AI models for their products, applications, and services.

AWS Generative AI Accelerator program

A substantial portion of the new funding, including the entirety of the amount designated for the accelerator program, will be provided as compute credits for AWS infrastructure. These credits are non-transferable to other cloud service providers like Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure.

To enhance the program, Amazon is ensuring that startups in this year’s Generative AI Accelerator cohort will have access to experts and technology from Nvidia, the program’s presenting partner. Additionally, these startups will be invited to join the Nvidia Inception program, which offers opportunities to connect with potential investors and gain additional consulting resources.

Growth of the Generative AI Accelerator Program

The Generative AI Accelerator program has seen substantial growth. Last year’s cohort, consisting of 21 startups, received up to $300,000 in AWS compute credits, totaling an investment of around $6.3 million.

“With this new effort, we will help startups launch and scale world-class businesses, providing the building blocks they need to unleash new AI applications that will impact all facets of how the world learns, connects, and does business,” said Matt Wood, VP of AI products at AWS.

Amazon’s broader generative AI efforts

Amazon’s increasing investment in generative AI technology includes initiatives such as the $100 million AWS Generative AI Innovation Center, free credits for startups utilizing major AI models, and its Project Olympus model.

These efforts come as Amazon strives to catch up with tech giants in the rapidly growing and competitive generative AI space. Although Amazon claims that its generative AI businesses have reached “multiple billions” in run rate, the company is often viewed as lagging behind.

Challenges and setbacks

AWS initially planned to unveil its generative AI model similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, code-named Bedrock, at its annual conference in November 2022. However, significant bugs delayed the launch, transforming Bedrock into Amazon’s model hosting service. Despite Amazon PR’s dispute, the postponement highlights some challenges.

The Alexa division has encountered its own issues, including technical difficulties and internal conflicts, as Fortune’s Sharon Goldman reported. Despite a high-profile press demonstration of a “next-gen” Alexa nine months ago, the updated version is still not ready for release due to insufficient training data, inadequate access to training hardware, and other obstacles.

Missed opportunities and regulatory scrutiny

Amazon also missed early investment opportunities in leading AI startups Cohere and Anthropic. After being rejected by Cohere, Amazon co-invested $4 billion in Anthropic alongside Google. This co-investment reflects Amazon’s attempts to stay competitive in the AI startup investment landscape.

Compounding these challenges is the recent departure of Howard Wright, AWS’ head of startups, who managed relationships with startups. Furthermore, Amazon faces growing scrutiny from regulators regarding Big Tech’s investments in AI startups.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has opened an inquiry into Microsoft’s backing of OpenAI and Google and Amazon’s investments in Anthropic. European policymakers have also expressed skepticism towards such deals, adding another layer of complexity to Amazon’s generative AI ambitions.

Don’t miss out on the latest generative AI insights, download our report today:

Generative AI 2024 report

Unlock the secrets to faster workflows with the Generative AI 2024 Report. Learn how 56.4% of companies leverage AI to boost efficiency and stay competitive.

Like what you see? Then check out tonnes more.

From exclusive content by industry experts and an ever-increasing bank of real world use cases, to 80+ deep-dive summit presentations, our membership plans are packed with awesome AI resources.

Subscribe now

[enterlogixcorporation]

Barcode Scanners Apps – Enterlogix Corporation

Enterlogix Corporation offers Barcode Scanners Apps designed to streamline your business operations. Our powerful mobile solutions empower your team to efficiently track inventory, manage assets, and improve overall productivity. With user-friendly interfaces and robust functionality, our barcode scanner apps are compatible with a wide range of devices, ensuring seamless integration into your existing systems. Whether you're in retail, logistics, or any industry that relies on barcode data, Enterlogix Corporation's apps provide real-time accuracy and data visibility.

[manageditserviceslosangeles]

Using Power BI for Compliance Reporting in Healthcare

In the ever-evolving healthcare landscape, compliance reporting is vital in ensuring patient privacy, data security, and adherence to industry regulations. With the increasing amount of data generated in healthcare organizations, managing and reporting compliance can be complex and time-consuming. However, by harnessing the power of Power BI, healthcare providers can streamline their compliance reporting processes, enhance data visibility, and improve decision-making. In this article, we will explore how Power BI in healthcare can revolutionize healthcare compliance reporting while effectively addressing HIPAA and GDPR regulations.

[techasoft-pvt-ltd]

👨‍💻 How To Choose The Best Microsoft SharePoint Consultants 👨‍💻

Microsoft SharePoint is a powerful collaboration and document management platform widely used by organizations to streamline their business processes and enhance productivity. However, implementing and managing SharePoint effectively requires expertise and specialized knowledge. That's where SharePoint consultants come in. SharePoint consultants provide guidance, support, and expertise to help organizations optimize their SharePoint environment and achieve their business objectives. Choosing the right SharePoint consultant is crucial for the success of your SharePoint project. In this article, we will discuss the key factors to consider when selecting the best Microsoft SharePoint consultants. Read More 🌐 - https://bit.ly/3O7lxGP

[honeybeezgobzzzzz]

𓅨 Eros: Chapter Seven

Eros: Married to Dream of the Endless, you find yourself sent back in time to Ancient Greece where you, unfortunately, meet Oneiros. Fresh off a divorce and drowning the sorrows of his son’s death by indulging in the Panathenaia, you find yourself trapped beneath the lustful gaze of your future husband. In your defense, he seduced you first…

Warnings: Nothing Explicit, Nudity, Language.

To Note: Morpheus x Wife!Reader, Time Travel, Oneiros is used for AncientGreek!Morpheus.

Word Count: ~2.1k

Previous | Masterlist | Next

The grand throne room of the Dreaming is shrouded in an atmosphere of unease. The usually calm and composed Morpheus sits on his intricately carved throne, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the marble in aggravation. His queen has vanished without a trace, and an uncharacteristic worry clouds his thoughts.

Lucienne, the loyal librarian, stands nearby, her face reflecting the same concern, and Matthew perches on the armrest of Morpheus’s throne, his dark eyes flickering with anxiety.

“My lord, it has been two days,” Lucienne begins softly, her voice steady despite the tension in the room. “We have searched every corner of the Dreaming. There is no sign of her.”

Morpheus’ usually serene blue eyes are stormy with frustration and fear. “She cannot simply have disappeared, Lucienne. We are bound together. There must be something we are missing.”

Matthew ruffles his feathers, shifting uneasily. “Boss, you don’t think it’s some kind of magic, do you? Someone messing with the Dreaming? Or worse, with her?”

Morpheus’ gaze hardens, and he looks down at Matthew, his eyes darkening with anger at the thought. “If she has been taken by magic, then the perpetrator will know the full extent of my wrath. But we must consider every possibility.”

Lucienne nods, stepping closer. “Perhaps we should review her last known whereabouts. Was there anything unusual in her behavior recently? Any disturbances in the Dreaming that could have indicated a threat?”

Morpheus’ mind races through the events of the past days. He has been preoccupied with the duties of the Dreaming, but nothing has seemed out of the ordinary. “She mentioned feeling restless,” he admits. “She often spoke of her desire to walk in the Waking World.”

Matthew tilts his head. “Actually, boss, there was something. Just before she disappeared, she went to check out the Ocean of Dreams. There was a storm, and she thought something was wrong. She dove in to investigate.”

Morpheus’s eyes widen, a mix of fear and anger flashing across his face. “Why was I not informed of this sooner, Matthew?”

The raven flinches slightly, his feathers ruffling. “I’m sorry, boss. She told me to go get Lucienne, and by the time I got back, she was already gone and never came back up. We didn’t find anything out of the ordinary at the ocean after she disappeared.”

Lucienne looks thoughtful. “The Ocean of Dreams is a powerful and ancient part of your realm, my lord. If she went into it and encountered something unexpected...”

Morpheus stands abruptly, his robe billowing around him like a storm cloud. “Then she may be trapped within its depths or worse. I must go there myself.”

Lucienne nods. “I will continue searching the archives for any records of disturbances in the Ocean of Dreams. There may be something we’ve overlooked.”

Morpheus turns to Matthew. “You will gather the ravens. I want them scouring the Dreaming and the Waking World for any sign of her. Leave no stone unturned.”

Matthew nods, taking off to carry out his task. Lucienne bows and quickly departs for the library, her mind already racing through the possible texts she will need to consult. Left alone in the vast throne room, Morpheus lets out a slow breath. His connection with his queen, so strong and vibrant, is eerily silent. He cannot sense her anywhere, and that absence gnaws at him.

As he strides out of the throne room, determination etched into his features, he reaches out with his senses, feeling the vast expanse of the Dreaming. He will dive into the Ocean of Dreams himself if necessary. The thought of her being trapped, alone, fills him with a fear he rarely acknowledges.

With every step, he resolves to uncover the mystery of her disappearance, to bring her back to his side where she belongs. He will not rest until his queen is safe once more. Morpheus arrives at the shores of the Ocean of Dreams, the usually tranquil waters now churning with an undercurrent of unease. He stands at the edge, his eyes scanning the horizon, feeling the pull of the ocean's ancient magic. He will find her, no matter the cost.

Taking a deep breath, he wades into the water, letting its cold embrace wash over him. As he dives deeper, the currents grow stronger and more aggressive, mirroring the turmoil in his heart. He reaches out with his mind, seeking any trace of her presence, any clue that could lead him to her.

The depths of the Ocean of Dreams are vast and mysterious, but Morpheus is relentless. He will search every corner, face every danger, to bring his queen back. His love for her is deeper and more powerful than any magic, and he will not rest until she is safely in his arms once more.

Morpheus paces the floor of your shared chambers, the ethereal light casting long shadows across the room. His normally composed demeanor is shattered by the torment of not knowing where you are. He has scoured the Dreaming, reached into every nook and cranny of his realm, and found nothing. Even the Ocean of Dreams has turned up nothing! His thoughts race as he considers who could have caused your disappearance. His anger simmers beneath the surface, ready to boil over at any moment.

His mind is a whirlwind of possibilities, but none seem plausible. You are powerful, and the protections around the Dreaming are impenetrable. It would take formidable magic to whisk you away without a trace. He stops his pacing and runs a hand through his dark hair, his thoughts briefly interrupted by a flicker of a memory—your wedding, the joy in your eyes, the warmth of your touch. He had asked you whatever you wished for, he would give you… you had told him that all you wished for, was him, and he had only fallen deeper in love with you.

He is about to turn to make another round of the room when a shimmering light appears, and you are suddenly standing in your shared bedchambers. You are naked as the day you were born with wide round eyes and shock plastered across your features. Morpheus should have been staring at the state you are in—love marks covering your body and evidence of lovemaking thoroughly coating your thighs—but memories flood his mind like a rampant tidal wave.

You wake with your face buried in a pillow smelling of marjoram and flowers. Feeling like your entire body is one big ache, you struggle to roll over onto your back and blow the hair out of your face. You blink a few times, making sure that you do, in fact, still have legs, before trying to roll to the edge of the bed. Son of a—

“This is ridiculous,” you mutter to yourself, feeling embarrassed that you are this sore from copious sex alone. Oneiros certainly has a healthy appetite for the indulgences of the flesh. You wouldn’t complain though, you haven’t seen that catastrophic glower of sadness and devastation upon his face in days. Job well done, you suppose. But you really need a bath... you glance down at your thighs and cringe. Your combined releases are smeared all over your discolored thighs, and when you stand up, you all but moan out loud when you feel it dripping from you.

“Bath, definitely need a bath,” you grimace, nearly waddling forward on what feels like newborn legs. Mustering up the strength, you take careful steps, teetering around on sore muscles. But as you make it to the center of the room, a flash of electricity runs along your skin, and your vision goes black. Floundering for a few seconds, you force yourself to remain calm until your vision returns moments later… but you are certainly not in the same place as you were a second ago.

Blinking away black dots, your eyes go round the moment you spot Morpheus standing not far from you, frozen where he stands. He looks disheveled and ill, paler than you have ever seen him. A few seconds go by and he still hasn’t moved.

“Morpheus?” you question in a small voice, your voice cracking a little from soreness and the shock of the sudden change in surroundings. Morpheus remains still, his eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and relief. He had thought he would never see you again, feared the worst had befallen you. The sight of you standing before him, albeit disheveled and confused, is like a caress to his tortured soul.

How many weeks has he spent looking for you after you disappeared from his bed into thin air? Endless. It was impossible to understand your sudden disappearance from Athens. He had wallowed in misery and despair, the absence of your presence weighing heavily on his heart until he ultimately moved on.

“αστέρι μου,” his voice is raw with emotion, his usual composure shattered in the wake of your sudden return. Your brain connects what is going on in his head. He is remembering you. His gaze drops to your body, and you shift as a flush crawls up your neck.

“In my defense, you seduced me first,” you softly mutter, not seeing the raging jealousy flashing through silver-blue eyes. You think, perhaps, that he would be angry at you for having sex with his past self, and he would certainly have every right to be so… but that is not what is running through his mind. All Morpheus can think about is how Oneiros has indulged in your body and repeatedly filled you with his seed. Jealousy rears its ugly head all the while the Endless can’t help but feel an intense lust for you. He wants to reclaim you from Oneiros. Right. Now.

Your heart pounds in your chest as Morpheus takes a step closer to you, his eyes darkening with desire and possessiveness. Then, in an instant, he is on you. His lips crash against yours in aggressive possession as a hand buries itself into your mussed hair. You can feel the intensity of his need in the way he kisses you, a mix of hunger and desperation that sends shivers down your spine.

You instinctively grab onto his shoulders, not quite expecting this aggressive onslaught but also not wanting to fight it. His kiss is raw, unfettered, a testament to the depth of his feelings. As your minds meld once more, you can feel the mixture of relief, desire, and possessiveness radiating from him in waves.

His hands move from your hair to your waist, pulling you closer. The hard lines of his muscular body press against you, reminding you of the intense passion the two of you have shared. The desperation in his kiss becomes more apparent and your own desire stirs within you. The realization dawns on you that he is trying to reclaim you from Oneiros. The clothes have to go.

“Clothes,” you barely manage to eke out between tongue-tying kisses that leave you feeling drunk. His lips never leave yours as Morpheus dissolves his clothing from his body and pulls you against his naked flesh. As he envelops your body in his strong embrace, your skin tingles with the sensation of his warm, bare skin against yours. His touch is electric, a mixture of tenderness and urgency that brings forth a whirlwind of emotions.

His hands roam over your curves, tracing every line, every contour, sending a storm of desire coursing through your veins. Each touch, each kiss, is a claim, a valid reaffirmation that you belong to him. The memory of Oneiros fades into oblivion as Morpheus' deep, silken voice whispers sweet nothings into your ear.

"You are mine, and only mine," he growls, his eyes burning with possession and an intense desire to make you his own once again. It is a claim that reverberates through your very soul, leaving you breathless and completely under his control.

“For as long as you shall want me,” you return, raising your hands to cup his face. His eyes flare with intensity, fueled by the raw desire that courses through his body. He knows that his claim to you is unmistakable, yet he can't help but feel the reassurance in your words. “But I do have to ask…”

Morpheus’s eyes glow as he waits for you to air your question.

“Are you jealous?” You watch as his expression twists with a mixture of surprise, annoyance, and, yes, jealousy. It is an emotion he has kept well-hidden, but seeing it now, you can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.

"You think I would be jealous?" he scoffs, a hint of amusement in his tone. “Beloved, if you are still able to use your legs come the morrow, I am not jealous.”

Well, shit.

Date Published: 6/12/24

Last Edit: 6/11/24

Previous | Masterlist | Next

[thewertsearch]

He asks if you have a good winter hat. You nearly drop the radio in excitement.

Dave’s on his way too, so they can all play in the snow together.

Plus, Jade'll get to reunite with her 'grandson's' bunny, and we might finally get some movement on that plotline.

You wonder if it will always be like this. What sort of future does a new god have to look forward to? Will this malaise follow you for eternity? Will you be perpetually tempted to destroy everything you see, knowing that in just a few moments of recklessness, you will be left with nothing else to destroy forever? What will eternity feel like when a single moment of boredom feels like an eternity unto itself?

Some introspection here from the Sovereign Slayer, as Noir seems dimly aware that he’s under some sort of compulsion. He was created to be a violent murderer, and he's programmed to play that role in every session – which is fine by him.

But he was never meant to be a superboss. For hours now, he’s been operating entirely outside his normal parameters. He's wielding a power transcending this and every session, but he's stuck with the programming of a mid-level NPC. He's built to kill, as usual - but his destructive potential is too great, and he's killing too much, too fast.

There’s a mismatch here, and he can feel it.

You wish you could consult the clouds for answers. But they never show you anything.

More evidence that only Prospit-aligned beings can use Skaia's clouds.

Sorry, Jack. They're not for you.

You are now future Jack Noir. Presently, you are trapped in a single moment, which increasingly feels like an eternity. Your boredom is surpassed only by your all consuming rage and contempt for existence itself.

There's that bloody arm again, and it might be time to talk about it.

Now, technically, it could have come from almost anyone in the kids' session. The Carapacians all have red blood - but the thing is, all the notable Carapacians will escape the session safely. I think it's a pretty safe bet that the blood belongs to to one of the four kids - so who's our most likely target?

Well...

John was unharmed immediately before the Scratch, but that doesn’t preclude Jack from attacking him during its activation. It feels narratively climactic for the kids' semi-official leader to be mortally wounded while saving the session, and I think there's a decent chance that something like this will go down in the Act 5 finale.

Rose, of course, is soon to fall into the Blackout. I've been speculating that it could potentially hide her from Jack, but it's also possible that he could cause it himself. If he does attack her, she might be compelled to use more of the Horrorterrors’ power than she can control - and I can see that going south fast.

Dave's tied up in several days' worth of time loops, and it'd be hard to take him by surprise. We've probably heard from versions of Future Dave who know what caused the blood, and I think if he was about to be maimed, he'd be a lot more on-edge. Dave tries to hide his nerves, but he's not actually that good at it.

Jade can’t be harmed by Jack, which makes her the most interesting choice of all. I don't know how Jack could conquer the remnants of Becsprite in his heart - but if he does, we'll have lost the biggest advantage we have.

I'm honestly not sure. Right now, I think John's the most likely target - but not by much. Really, it could really be anyone.

[goldensunsetchild]

To Answer The Call | SAGAU one-shot|

A/N: I wrote this one-shot because I wanted to celebrate that I won the 50/50 even though I didn't have it guaranteed so now grandma is home. I also decided to use the Lantern Rite invitation to invite Ga Ming because he's such a sunshine I love him so much. So, I hope you like this.

CW: fem!reader, a little (cough*highly*cough) self indulgent, Zhongli mentioned to be the creator's favorite.

Word count: 899 words

Featuring: Xianyun and Ga Ming

It was no secret that the thing the vision holders wanted the most was to receive the call, from their creator. Aside from the ones that were chosen as starting companions, there were only a few lucky ones that got the chance to receive said calling as it seemed that Her Grace was someone really picky when it came to choosing those that were going to be called to her side. Among all the Liyue vision holders, it seemed that the favorite of Her Grace was none other than the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Consultant; Mr. Zhongli.

Most believed that it was because of his extensive knowledge of Liyue's history, perhaps Her Grace liked knowledgeable people the most. However, people like the adepti knew that the reason was... something else; Morax was the god of contracts and as such Her Grace found suitable to made a contract with him in order to guarantee that he would answer the call when the time came. Of course, he answered her call half because of the contract and half because he would never dream to ignore his creator.

Some time after that news arrived that the next in answering the call was Miss Keqing, the Yuheng from the Qixing. Almost at the same time news from Fontaine said that the Chief of Justice, Mr. Neuvillette also answered Her Grace's call and even from Mondstadt an astrologist named Mona Megistus also answered said calling. Of course there was more than just them who had already the privilege of answering her call, including the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing Miss Ningguang and the famous opera performer Miss Yun Jin.

As member of the adepti Cloud Retainer also had the secret wish that maybe some day her creator would call for her, after moving to live among humans and making a new identity she awaited every day. And when the time finally came, she saw it and heard it... the call from her creator so of course she answered immediately and next time she knew she was in front of the Traveler. Though it would be more appropriate to say that she was in front of her, there was no way of mistaking that right golden eye that shined with ancient power. But why was her expression so... surprised? Disappointed? The adeptus couldn't really tell at all.

"Xianyun? Wow... I mean, thank you so much for answering my call. I... I'm actually surprised because I thought that you might have not wanted to answer my call."

How could she not? Nothing could ever be more important than being at her creator's service, she glanced at her and noticed that after saying those words Her Grace smiled at her, it seemed that after all she was pleased with her answering to her call. Of course, as soon as she got within Her Grace's grasp she immediately showered the adeptus with a lot of gifts and also bestowed her with more power. Just like she had done with all of the other acolytes that answered her calling, Her Grace really loved them so deeply. So, the news that Miss Xianyun from Qiaoying Village got called by Her Grace spread out until it reached Yilong Wharf where a certain young man was also wishing that her creator called for him.

Everyone knew his name, Gaming, one of the guards for the Sword and Strongbox Secure Transport Agency. A lively and passionate boy who also loved Wushou Dances, of course as everyone else he wanted to get the chance to be called by Her Grace but he never thought that he would have more than what he expected because he also got to meet her in person. It was no secret that the blond traveler better known as the Hero of Liyue was the creator's vessel, so when he met with them at Liyue Harbor he thought of himself as a really lucky person.

And to his surprise he not only met Her Grace but also she helped him to reconcile with his father, could he be more lucky? Of course he could, because he felt so special when she extend him a letter and it happened it was no ordinary letter because it was actually an invitation to join her. He was so worried that she would never call for him but it turned out that she prepared an invitation for him and only him. He opened the letter and of course, soon he received tons of gifts and even more power.

"Since you weren't answering for my calls I thought that maybe it would be better to give you an invitation in person. That way you wouldn't be able to reject me right?"

She said, her right golden eye shining as bright as the sun. Gaming felt his heart racing like crazy, he wanted to tell her that it was not that he was ignoring her calls but it seemed that they got lost and never reached him but now... Now he was by her side and not only that, he was not going to forget so easily how excited she seemed upon meeting him for the first time or when she said such things like he was "her precious sunny boy", he didn't have any clue what that meant but for some reason it sounded special and it made him feel that way: special.

[bdccglobal]

Explore our latest blog on implementing AWS Well-Architected Pillars with automated workflows. Learn how to optimize your cloud infrastructure efficiently and effectively.

[cringywhitedragon]

Heads up folks, NicoNicoDouga is currently down due to a large scale cyberattack

The attack happened on the 8th and the site is still down in terms of video streaming. Apparently there were reports of Ransomware being used during the attack.

The site is still “down” but the blog part is back up but from the report, videos and content posted are ok so do not fret. The site is still down as of this post (save for the blog) and it seems they are working their hardest to fix it and do damage control.

Here is a rough translation of their most recent post:

Report and apology regarding cyberattack on our services

As announced in Niconico Info dated June 8th, 2024, Dwango Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Takeshi Natsuno) has been unable to use the entire Niconico service operated by our company since the early morning of June 8th. It has been confirmed that this outage was caused by a large-scale cyberattack, including ransomware, and we are currently temporarily suspending use of the service and conducting an investigation and response to fully grasp the extent of the damage and restore it.

After confirming the cyberattack, we immediately took emergency measures such as shutting down the relevant servers, and have set up a task force to fully clarify the damage, determine the cause, and restore the system. We would like to report the findings of the investigation to date and future responses as follows.

We sincerely apologize to our users and related parties for the great inconvenience and concern caused.

Response history>

Around 3:30 a.m. on June 8, a malfunction occurred that prevented all of our web services, including our "Nico Nico" and "N Preparatory School" services, from working properly. After an investigation, it was confirmed that the malfunction was caused by a cyber attack, including ransomware, at around 8 a.m. on the same day. A task force was set up on the same day, and in order to prevent the damage from spreading, we immediately cut off communication between servers in the data center provided by our group companies and shut down the servers, temporarily suspending the provision of our web services. In addition, since it was discovered that the attack had also extended to our internal network, we suspended the use of some of our internal business systems and prohibited access to the internal network.

As of June 14, we are currently investigating the extent of the damage and formulating recovery procedures, aiming for a gradual recovery.

June 8, 2024

We have begun an investigation into the malfunction that prevented all of our "Nico Nico" services from working properly and the failure of some of our internal systems.

We have confirmed that the cause of the failure was encryption by ransomware. "Nico Nico" services in general and some internal business systems suspended and servers were shut down

A task force was established

First report "Regarding the situation in which Nico Nico services are unavailable" was announced

June 9, 2024

Contacted the police and consulted with external specialist agencies

Kabukiza office was closed

KADOKAWA announced "Regarding the occurrence of failures on multiple KADOKAWA Group websites"

June 10, 2024

Reported to the Personal Information Protection Commission (first report)

Second report "Regarding the situation in which Nico Nico services are unavailable" was announced

June 12, 2024

Reported the occurrence of the failure to the Kanto Regional Financial Bureau (Financial Services Agency)

June 14, 2024

This announcement

This cyber attack by a third party was repeated even after it was discovered, and even after a server in the private cloud was shut down remotely, the third party was observed to be remotely starting the server and spreading the infection. Therefore, the power cables and communication cables of the servers were physically disconnected and blocked. As a result, all servers installed in the data centers provided by the group companies became unusable. In addition, to prevent further spread of infection, our employees are prohibited from coming to the Kabukiza office in principle, and our internal network and internal business systems have also been shut down.

In addition to public cloud services, Niconico uses private cloud services built in data centers provided by KADOKAWA Group companies, to which our company belongs. One of these, a data center of a group company, was hit by a cyber attack, including ransomware, and a significant number of virtual machines were encrypted and became unavailable. As a result, the systems of all of our web services, including Niconico, were shut down.

This cyber attack by a third party was repeated even after it was discovered, and even after a server in the private cloud was shut down remotely, the third party was observed to be remotely starting the server and spreading the infection. Therefore, the power cables and communication cables of the servers were physically disconnected and blocked. As a result, all servers installed in the data centers provided by the group companies became unusable. In addition, to prevent further spread of infection, our employees are prohibited from coming to the Kabukiza office in principle, and our internal network and internal business systems have also been shut down.

The Niconico Video system, posted video data, and video distribution system were operated on the public cloud, so they were not affected. Niconico Live Broadcasting did not suffer any damage as the system itself was run on a public cloud, but the system that controls Niconico Live Broadcasting's video distribution is run on a private cloud of a group company, so it is possible that past time-shifted footage, etc. may not be available. We are also gradually checking the status of systems other than Niconico Douga and Niconico Live Broadcasting.

■ Services currently suspended

Niconico Family services such as Niconico Video, Niconico Live Broadcast, and Niconico Channel

Niconico account login on external services

Music monetization services

Dwango Ticket

Some functions of Dwango JP Store

N Preparatory School *Restored for students of N High School and S High School

Sending gifts for various projects

■ About Niconico-related programs

Until the end of July, official Niconico live broadcasts and channel live broadcasts using Niconico Live Broadcast and Niconico Channel will be suspended.

Considering that program production requires a preparation period and that Niconico Live Broadcast and Niconico Channel are monthly subscription services, we have decided to suspend live broadcasts on Niconico Live Broadcast until the end of July. Depending on the program, the broadcast may be postponed or broadcast on other services.

The date of resumption of Niconico services, including Niconico Live Broadcast and Niconico Channel, is currently undecided.

Niconico Channel Plus allows viewing of free content without logging in. Paid content viewing and commenting are not available.

■ About the new version "Nico Nico Douga (Re: Kari)" (read: nikoniko douga rikari)

While "Nico Nico" is suspended, as the first step, we will release a new version of "Nico Nico Douga (Re: Kari)" at 3:00 p.m. on June 14, 2024. Our development team voluntarily created this site in just three days, and it is a video community site with only basic functions such as video viewing and commenting, just like the early days of Niconico (2006). In consideration of the load on the service, only a selected portion of the videos posted on Niconico Video is available for viewing. The lineup is mainly popular videos from 2007, and you can watch them for free without an account.

■About the Niconico Manga app

We have already confirmed that many systems were not affected, and we are considering resuming the service with a reduced-function version that allows basic functions such as reading manga, commenting, and adding to favorites. We aim to restore the service by June 2024.

If any new facts become known in the future, we will report them on Niconico Info, Official X, our company website, etc. as they become available. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Added 6/10]

Thank you for your continued patronage. This is the Niconico management team.

Due to the effects of a large-scale cyber attack, Niconico has been unavailable since the early morning of June 8th.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

As of 6:00 p.m. on June 10th, we are working to rebuild the entire Niconico system without being affected by the cyber attack, in parallel with an investigation to grasp the full extent of the damage.

We have received many inquiries from you, such as "Will premium membership fees and paid channel membership fees be charged during the service suspension period?" and "What will happen to the time shift deadline for live broadcasts?". We are currently in the process of investigating the impact, so we cannot answer your questions, but we will respond sincerely, so please wait for further information.

Our executive officer Shigetaka Kurita and CTO Keiichi Suzuki are scheduled to explain the expected time until recovery and the information learned from the investigation up to that point this week.

We will inform you again about this as soon as we are ready.

■ Services currently suspended

Niconico Family Services such as Niconico Video, Niconico Live Broadcast, Niconico Channel, etc.

Niconico Account Login on External Services

[Added 2024/06/10 18:00]

Gifts for various projects (due to the suspension of related systems)

■ Programs scheduled to be canceled/postponed (as of June 10)

Programs from June 10 to June 16

■ Current situation

In parallel with the recovery work, we are investigating the route of the attack and the possibility of information leakage.

No credit card information has been leaked (Niconico does not store credit card information on its own servers).

The official program "Monthly Niconico Info" scheduled for June 11 at 20:00 will be broadcast on YouTube and X at a reduced scale. During this program, we will verbally explain the current situation in an easy-to-understand manner. (※There is no prospect of providing additional information, such as detailed recovery dates, during this program.)

"Monthly Niconico Info" can be viewed at the following URL. YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@niconico_news X (formerly Twitter) → https://x.com/nico_nico_info

The latest information will be posted on Niconico Info and the official X (formerly Twitter).

We deeply apologize for the inconvenience caused to users and content providers who regularly enjoy our videos and live broadcasts. We ask for your understanding and cooperation until the issue is resolved.

Published on 6/8]

Thank you for your continued patronage. This is the Niconico management team.

Currently, Niconico is under a large-scale cyber attack, and in order to minimize the impact, we have temporarily suspended our services.

We are accelerating our investigation and taking measures, but we cannot begin recovery until we are confident that we have completely eliminated the effects of the cyber attack and our safety has been confirmed. We do not expect to be able to restore services at least this weekend.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

We will inform you of the latest situation again on Monday (June 10, 2024).

■ Suspended services

Niconico family services such as Niconico Video, Niconico Live Broadcast, and Niconico Channel

Niconico account login on external services

■ Current situation

In parallel with the recovery work, we are investigating the route of the attack and the possibility of information leakage.

No credit card information has been confirmed to have been leaked (Niconico does not store credit card information on its own servers).

Future information will be announced on Niconico Info and Official X (formerly Twitter) as it becomes available.

We deeply apologize to all users who were looking forward to the video posts and live broadcasts scheduled for this weekend. We ask for your understanding and cooperation until the response is complete.

[idkwhatimd0ingatall]

Victors First Birthday Story Translation

Big thank you to @valnyte!

// is an alternate translation ----- are breaks i created to pace myself T/N- first time adding pics so ignore how bad it might seem hopefully the translation was good enough! ALSO storyteller/fairytale writer are the same in this story. i just forgot to change it. sorry about the repeat sentences, was rushing this

The dark night was my friend, and death was myself.

I will walk, walk and walk in the dark again today.

And suddenly, I look back.

See, there lies a blood-soaked, happy face of death.

Kate: Victor, Harrison lent me a book the other day. So.........

I handle my responsibilities/job, while Kate takes on the role of a storyteller.

Listening to Kate's stories while working together in the office is becoming a part of my daily routine.

(......You look like you’re having fun. Kate has become a full-fledged member of the Crown, hasn't she?)

Kate: Yes, that's right. It's about Marianne, the maid we discussed the other day.

Victor: Oh, in that case, give her some time off. It's important for her to meet her lover who is far away.

When I conveyed that the matter we discussed has been resolved, she blinked her eyes in surprise.

Kate: Victor, when do you sleep…?

Victor: When?

Kate: I understand you have an overwhelming amount of work. It seems like something I could never handle.

Kate: Even so, you promptly addressed the matter I consulted you about...

Victor: Oh~ Could it be that you're complimenting me? Well, that makes me happy!

Victor: But, unfortunately, even I need to sleep, and as a human, there's a limit to time.

//But unfortunately I sleep, and as long as I'm human, my time is limited.

Victor: Your consultation held an exceptionally high priority, you know.

Kate: …..Thank you, Victor.

Victor: The feeling is mutual. Thank you, Kate, for looking out for the kids working here.

Kate: And... if I'm misunderstanding/wrong, please disregard it.

Victor: ...Huh?

Kate: Victor, was there something that seemed to be bothering you?

Kate: Things that could cloud Victor's heart...

(This one/child truly has a keen eye for people, doesn’t she?)

Honest eyes deserve honest answers.

Victor: Tonight, William and I are embarking on a mission, but it's not a particularly pleasant one, I must say.

There's a story going around about a group that worships Her Majesty the Queen, essentially treating her as a deity.

(People are free to believe in what they want. We, as the Crown, have no right to condemn that. However..)

It appears that this organization kidnaps and imprisons women as idols, and if they are not considered worthy vessels for Her Majesty, they are killed.

//The group is said to kidnap and imprison women as idols and kill them if they are not worthy of Her Majesty.

Victor:  Tonight, we will proceed with the investigation, and if they are found guilty, we will deliver judgment in the name of evil.

//Tonight, we'll intensify the investigation. If they are guilty, we'll bring judgment in the darkness.

Kate: ...Committing murder in the name of their worship.

Victor: Kate, there's a possibility that this mission might not be pleasant for you either. So--

Before I could finish my sentence, Kate responded with a determined look in her eyes.

Kate: Victor, would you allow me to accompany you as a storyteller?

Believing that above all, we should respect her will, that night, we infiltrated the organization's stronghold.

William: Belongings of the missing, bloodstains, and then a body was discovered. There's no way to deny it.

Kate: This case is... deserving of condemnation, isn't it?

//This case is... in black, isn't it?

(Tommy Yeager, a noble. Leah Rodriguez, a legislator. Kevin Nicholson...)

(Quite a lineup/assemblage of influential figures, isn't it?)

In times of insatiable greed, those in power liken the queen to a deity and seem to have wishes they want her to fulfill.

William: Tonight, I can speculate that the ritual is taking place in two locations. Either on the upper floor of this mansion or in the basement.

Victor: I'll go to the basement with Kate. Let's head there immediately to prevent further victims.

Kate: Yes...

William: Victor, how much mercy tonight?

Victor: None needed. Their actions deserve condemnation. Loyalty to your wickedness, William.

Kate, I didn't want to show her too much of the horrific scene, praying that this wasn't the 'right' place…

(Ah, I see. It seems like the basement is the 'right' place.)

In the basement, there was an altar-like structure with flickering candlelight. People wearing masquerade-like masks surrounded the altar, and at its center lay a young girl who seemed barely of age.

(So, that's the 'replacement' for the queen. ...Truly grotesque.)

I noticed a man attempting to lower a candle onto the girl's arm, and without hesitation, I took a step forward.

However, Kate moved before me.

Kate: ............no, stop!

The red-haired man with a mask: W-who is this girl! Let go, let go...

Kate: Please stay away from her!... Kyaa!

It happened in an instant, and Kate, who was pushed away, collided with the altar and collapsed on the spot.

Victor: Kate...? Kate...?

(It's okay, she's breathing. She just passed out...)

---In the moment of her collapse, something seemed to have rolled and fallen near Kate.

(...Ah, this is...)

*******FLASHBACK*****************

Victor: Kate, tonight you were supposed to accompany Elbert and Roger on a mission.

Kate: Yes, I'm not used to it yet, so I hope I won't be a hindrance.

Victor: I see. Then, take this.

Kate: A cameo hairpin?

Victor: May it protect you from danger.

Kate: Hehe, it feels reassuring that you've always been there to protect me.

Kate: Thank you, Victor! I'll be going now.

*******FLASHBACK ENDS********************

(...The thing I gave you when you first came to the Crown, isn't it?)

With closed eyes, Kate and the girl lying on the altar, and those who had died, the reasons for not holding back tonight were ample.

Red-haired masked man: Hah, because you disturbed our sacred ritual!

Black-haired masked man: Hey, wait... This gentleman...

Black-haired masked man: Isn't that Lord Victor?

Freckled masked man: Really! Why is His Excellency, the right hand of the queen, here?

While looking at the eerie individuals with masks, focus is on one of them.

Victor: You're the one who pushed this girl, aren't you?

Red-haired masked man: Y-yes... It was me, Lord Victor.

Victor: As I command you. Pledge your allegiance to evil.

//Let it be commanded in the name of death. Now, it's time for death to come for you.

The man's eyes gaze into the void, and his expression becomes euphoric.

Red-haired masked man: Ah... It feels so wonderful. I... I...

The man reaches for his own neck and tightens it, ending his life.

Black-haired masked man: He's... dead...? Why did he... commit suicide...?

Looking at the bewildered men, I focus on one.

Victor: ...Starting from the right, say your names.

Black-haired masked man: Tommy Jaeger... Ugh...

Another death command.

Freckled masked man: Leah Rodriguez. Ah, I... Ah!

Another death command.

Finally, what remained was silence and the serene faces of those who died, as if having beautiful dreams.

William: Is it settled? It seems I won't have a chance to step in.

Victor: Yes, Will. The 'target' was here.

//Yes, Will. The correct location was here.

William: As always, they seem happy in death. As if invited by a god.

(A god, huh?)

As if emphasizing that "Queen Majesty" is not a god.

Victor: ......Humans can never become gods.

William: If you say so, it must be true.

William quietly smiles and lifts the girl on the altar.

William: This girl is mine. I'll leave Kate to you.

William: Considering your anger, it seems Kate is involved.

Returning to the castle, Kate was examined by Roger, and he mentioned that she would wake up soon.

Gently placing the unconscious Kate on her bed.

(Kate. I'm truly relieved that nothing happened to you.)

While looking at Katel's face, I recall the night we first met.

I suggested the position of a fairytale writer to her, partly on a whim,

and partly because I expected it to bring change to the Crown.

Although they are different types, all the Crown members are strong.

That's why I believe that "change brought on by others" is necessary.

People become stronger with the presence of others.

(That change will guide those children to even more beautiful evil/wickedness, I thought.)

I watched Kate from a distance, or at least that was the plan,

(You, without me realizing it, seemed to have brought change to me as well.)

As William said, when Kate was hurt, anger surged within me.

Vividly, truly... human-like emotions

(When you're around, I feel like I'm pulled from being a spectator to being involved.)

(But)

Gently placing the cameo hairpin back in Kate's hair

(No matter how cute you are, I must remain "Assistant to the Queen Victor," by your side as a guardian)

(Beyond that or less than that is not allowed)

//(Not more, not less)

Because if not, my darkness, death, would engulf/swallow her.

I give her hair a gentlemanly kiss.

Victor: Consider it a bad dream of one night and forget everything. Nightmares and death won't chase after you because of me.

Victor: ...Goodnight, Kate.

The next day, when Kate woke up, she rushed to apologize to me.

Kate: I'm sorry, Victor. It's because I rushed out without thinking...

(Don't worry, even if I say not to, you'll still worry.)

//(Don't worry, even if you say that, you'll still be concerned.)

(Oh, that's right. If that's the case,)

Victor: Kate, why don't we have lunch together?

Victor: Ah, today was a lonely lunchtime for me, so I'm glad you're here.

Kate: Is this to make up for last night?

Victor: Of course. Sharing a delicious meal with someone is one of my joys.

Kate: Hehe, then I'm relieved.

(Oh, finally your wonderful smile is back.)

--Suddenly, a fine rain starts to fall above us.

Victor: It's just a passing shower. Kate, come here. Let's go to that gazebo over there.

Kate: Y-yes...

(Well, that surprised me. London's rain is so unpredictable.)

Victor: Kate, are you okay—

Before I could ask, Kate wiped my cheeks with her own palm.

Kate: I'm fine. Besides, Victor...

Victor: ............

Kate's palm, which is more concerned about me getting wet than herself, is incredibly gentle.

It's like rain falling softly from a clear sky, and it once again brings change to my heart.

Kate: Besides, Victor...

Kate: There's something Liam wanted to give you. He was searching, saying he had to give it to you yesterday.

(Oh...)

Victor: Yesterday was my birthday.

Kate: ......Eh?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kate: Eh!?

She seems to be the most surprised she's ever been since we met, making me laugh.

(It was just going to make her worry, so I didn't plan on revealing it myself.)

Kate: I'm sorry. I didn't know, and I didn't prepare any presents...

Victor: Haha, it's okay. I already bought it, Kate.

Kate: ?

Victor: Yesterday, you spent the entire day with me.

Victor: I wanted to respect your will, but deep down, I may have also wanted the childish desire for you to be with me on my birthday.

Victor: ...So, thank you, Kate.

Kate smiles and looks up at the sky, where the rain has stopped.

Kate: ...Hey, Victor. I'll become stronger, more and more.

Victor: Why is that?

Kate: I'm sure you'll protect me from something again. But... even if I'm weak...

Kate mutters that there are many things in this world that she doesn't need to know.

And she adds, "But, if it's you, Victor, I want to know everything. And..."

Kate: When you're going through a tough time, I don't want to just laugh and pretend I didn't know anything.

She laughs and looks at me, captivating me with those words.

Crown and I were changed, not just because of the changes she brought.

Kate herself is changing, becoming more beautiful with every blink.

(...She's like a spring storm)

I wonder if, one day, I'll be caught up in this storm and reveal the truth to her.

(But, for now)

Victor: Don't hurry too much to become strong, Kate. I might get lonely.

(Just a little longer, like this)

[jcmarchi]

Responsible AI at Google Research: User Experience Team

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/responsible-ai-at-google-research-user-experience-team/

Responsible AI at Google Research: User Experience Team

Posted by Ayça Çakmakli, UX Lead, Google Research, Responsible AI and Human Centered Technology Team

Google’s Responsible AI User Experience (Responsible AI UX) team is a product-minded team embedded within Google Research. This unique positioning requires us to apply responsible AI development practices to our user-centered user experience (UX) design process. In this post, we describe the importance of UX design and responsible AI in product development, and share a few examples of how our team’s capabilities and cross-functional collaborations have led to responsible development across Google.

First, the UX part. We are a multi-disciplinary team of product design experts: designers, engineers, researchers, and strategists who manage the user-centered UX design process from early-phase ideation and problem framing to later-phase user-interface (UI) design, prototyping and refinement. We believe that effective product development occurs when there is clear alignment between significant unmet user needs and a product’s primary value proposition, and that this alignment is reliably achieved via a thorough user-centered UX design process.

And second, recognizing generative AI’s (GenAI) potential to significantly impact society, we embrace our role as the primary user advocate as we continue to evolve our UX design process to meet the unique challenges AI poses, maximizing the benefits and minimizing the risks. As we navigate through each stage of an AI-powered product design process, we place a heightened emphasis on the ethical, societal, and long-term impact of our decisions. We contribute to the ongoing development of comprehensive safety and inclusivity protocols that define design and deployment guardrails around key issues like content curation, security, privacy, model capabilities, model access, equitability, and fairness that help mitigate GenAI risks.

Responsible AI UX is constantly evolving its user-centered product design process to meet the needs of a GenAI-powered product landscape with greater sensitivity to the needs of users and society and an emphasis on ethical, societal, and long-term impact.

Responsibility in product design is also reflected in the user and societal problems we choose to address and the programs we resource. Thus, we encourage the prioritization of user problems with significant scale and severity to help maximize the positive impact of GenAI technology.

Communication across teams and disciplines is essential to responsible product design. The seamless flow of information and insight from user research teams to product design and engineering teams, and vice versa, is essential to good product development. One of our team’s core objectives is to ensure the practical application of deep user-insight into AI-powered product design decisions at Google by bridging the communication gap between the vast technological expertise of our engineers and the user/societal expertise of our academics, research scientists, and user-centered design research experts. We’ve built a multidisciplinary team with expertise in these areas, deepening our empathy for the communication needs of our audience, and enabling us to better interface between our user & society experts and our technical experts. We create frameworks, guidebooks, prototypes, cheatsheets, and multimedia tools to help bring insights to life for the right people at the right time.

Facilitating responsible GenAI prototyping and development

During collaborations between Responsible AI UX, the People + AI Research (PAIR) initiative and Labs, we identified that prototyping can afford a creative opportunity to engage with large language models (LLM), and is often the first step in GenAI product development. To address the need to introduce LLMs into the prototyping process, we explored a range of different prompting designs. Then, we went out into the field, employing various external, first-person UX design research methodologies to draw out insight and gain empathy for the user’s perspective. Through user/designer co-creation sessions, iteration, and prototyping, we were able to bring internal stakeholders, product managers, engineers, writers, sales, and marketing teams along to ensure that the user point of view was well understood and to reinforce alignment across teams.

The result of this work was MakerSuite, a generative AI platform launched at Google I/O 2023 that enables people, even those without any ML experience, to prototype creatively using LLMs. The team’s first-hand experience with users and understanding of the challenges they face allowed us to incorporate our AI Principles into the MakerSuite product design. Product features like safety filters, for example, enable users to manage outcomes, leading to easier and more responsible product development with MakerSuite.

Because of our close collaboration with product teams, we were able to adapt text-only prototyping to support multimodal interaction with Google AI Studio, an evolution of MakerSuite. Now, Google AI Studio enables developers and non-developers alike to seamlessly leverage Google’s latest Gemini model to merge multiple modality inputs, like text and image, in product explorations. Facilitating product development in this way provides us with the opportunity to better use AI to identify appropriateness of outcomes and unlocks opportunities for developers and non-developers to play with AI sandboxes. Together with our partners, we continue to actively push this effort in the products we support.

Google AI studio enables developers and non-developers to leverage Google Cloud infrastructure and merge multiple modality inputs in their product explorations.

Equitable speech recognition

Multiple external studies, as well as Google’s own research, have identified an unfortunate deficiency in the ability of current speech recognition technology to understand Black speakers on average, relative to White speakers. As multimodal AI tools begin to rely more heavily on speech prompts, this problem will grow and continue to alienate users. To address this problem, the Responsible AI UX team is partnering with world-renowned linguists and scientists at Howard University, a prominent HBCU, to build a high quality African-American English dataset to improve the design of our speech technology products to make them more accessible. Called Project Elevate Black Voices, this effort will allow Howard University to share the dataset with those looking to improve speech technology while establishing a framework for responsible data collection, ensuring the data benefits Black communities. Howard University will retain the ownership and licensing of the dataset and serve as stewards for its responsible use. At Google, we’re providing funding support and collaborating closely with our partners at Howard University to ensure the success of this program.

[embedded content]

Equitable computer vision

The Gender Shades project highlighted that computer vision systems struggle to detect people with darker skin tones, and performed particularly poorly for women with darker skin tones. This is largely due to the fact that the datasets used to train these models were not inclusive to a wide range of skin tones. To address this limitation, the Responsible AI UX team has been partnering with sociologist Dr. Ellis Monk to release the Monk Skin Tone Scale (MST), a skin tone scale designed to be more inclusive of the spectrum of skin tones around the world. It provides a tool to assess the inclusivity of datasets and model performance across an inclusive range of skin tones, resulting in features and products that work better for everyone.

We have integrated MST into a range of Google products, such as Search, Google Photos, and others. We also open sourced MST, published our research, described our annotation practices, and shared an example dataset to encourage others to easily integrate it into their products. The Responsible AI UX team continues to collaborate with Dr. Monk, utilizing the MST across multiple product applications and continuing to do international research to ensure that it is globally inclusive.

Consulting & guidance

As teams across Google continue to develop products that leverage the capabilities of GenAI models, our team recognizes that the challenges they face are varied and that market competition is significant. To support teams, we develop actionable assets to facilitate a more streamlined and responsible product design process that considers available resources. We act as a product-focused design consultancy, identifying ways to scale services, share expertise, and apply our design principles more broadley. Our goal is to help all product teams at Google connect significant unmet user needs with technology benefits via great responsible product design.

One way we have been doing this is with the creation of the People + AI Guidebook, an evolving summative resource of many of the responsible design lessons we’ve learned and recommendations we’ve made for internal and external stakeholders. With its forthcoming, rolling updates focusing specifically on how to best design and consider user needs with GenAI, we hope that our internal teams, external stakeholders, and larger community will have useful and actionable guidance at the most critical milestones in the product development journey.

The People + AI Guidebook has six chapters, designed to cover different aspects of the product life cycle.

If you are interested in reading more about Responsible AI UX and how we are specifically thinking about designing responsibly with Generative AI, please check out this Q&A piece.

Acknowledgements

Shout out to our the Responsible AI UX team members: Aaron Donsbach, Alejandra Molina, Courtney Heldreth, Diana Akrong, Ellis Monk, Femi Olanubi, Hope Neveux, Kafayat Abdul, Key Lee, Mahima Pushkarna, Sally Limb, Sarah Post, Sures Kumar Thoddu Srinivasan, Tesh Goyal, Ursula Lauriston, and Zion Mengesha. Special thanks to Michelle Cohn for her contributions to this work.

[enterlogixcorporation]

Salesforce Consulting Services – Enterlogix Corporation

Enterlogix Corporation offers top-notch Salesforce Consulting Services to help businesses streamline their operations and achieve greater success. With a team of highly skilled and certified Salesforce experts, we provide tailored solutions that align with your unique business needs and goals. Whether you're looking to implement Salesforce for the first time, optimize your existing Salesforce environment, or integrate Salesforce with other systems, our consultants have the expertise to deliver results. We prioritize client satisfaction, ensuring that you get the most out of your Salesforce investment. Trust Enterlogix Corporation to guide you through the entire Salesforce journey, from planning and implementation to ongoing support and maintenance.