Each year on April 22 we celebrate Earth Day, to help raise awareness and  demonstrate support for environmental protection. 

While Earth Day should not be the only day we strive towards sustainability, it’s an opportunity to celebrate the work that customers are doing to protect our planet and species for future generations using Google AI.

Saving the world’s rarest dolphin

With RUSH and MAUI63 we’re helping to save the world’s rarest dolphin, the Māui dolphin. Just 63 of these dolphins remain in the world, putting it on the brink of extinction. As part of the Māui Drone Project, the R/VISION platform, powered by Google Cloud, is supporting the data processing, display and analytics provided by specialised AI-powered tracking drones developed by the MAUI63 team.

The team's mission is to provide conservationists unparalleled access to information about Māui dolphins, and in the future any and all species, including detailed data on the habitats, population size and distribution and behaviour of the dolphins. Artificial intelligence helps fill critical science gaps about the Māui dolphins. In the future, by advancing understanding of how these dolphins behave and providing this data publicly, data driven decisions can be made by policy makers, scientists and private organisations to ensure robust and appropriate measures are in place to protect Māui dolphins.

Recognising birdsong to protect threatened native birds

Our machine learning technology is being used by Victoria University to help them digest tens of thousands of hours of birdsong to pick out threatened birds, like hihi, saddleback and kakariki. The recordings captured birds at 50 locations in and around Wellington sanctuary Zealandia, but researchers were overwhelmed by the vast data-bank facing them.

Leveraging our TensorFlow technology, the AI system learned to recognise different bird calls, effectively measuring the activity of each bird species at specific times and locations. Due to the limited information about threatened bird species outside of wildlife sanctuaries, it was difficult to know how to maximise conservation efforts. By combining acoustic sensors and AI, researchers can gather enough information to identify the location and visiting frequency of threatened birds outside protected areas – thereby allowing better planning for future conservation efforts.

Creating a better world for future generations

Supporting the conservation efforts of our customers is just one part of our commitment to creating a better future for future generations. We haven’t reached the finish line yet, there’s still much more to be done. We look forward to continuing to support the work our customers are doing to drive conservation, as well as the role that new technologies, like AI and machine learning, play in improving these efforts.

Each year on April 22 we celebrate Earth Day, to help raise awareness and  demonstrate support for environmental protection. 

While Earth Day should not be the only day we strive towards sustainability, it’s an opportunity to celebrate the work that customers are doing to protect our planet and species for future generations using Google AI.

Saving the world’s rarest dolphin

With RUSH and MAUI63 we’re helping to save the world’s rarest dolphin, the Māui dolphin. Just 63 of these dolphins remain in the world, putting it on the brink of extinction. As part of the Māui Drone Project, the R/VISION platform, powered by Google Cloud, is supporting the data processing, display and analytics provided by specialised AI-powered tracking drones developed by the MAUI63 team.

The team's mission is to provide conservationists unparalleled access to information about Māui dolphins, and in the future any and all species, including detailed data on the habitats, population size and distribution and behaviour of the dolphins. Artificial intelligence helps fill critical science gaps about the Māui dolphins. In the future, by advancing understanding of how these dolphins behave and providing this data publicly, data driven decisions can be made by policy makers, scientists and private organisations to ensure robust and appropriate measures are in place to protect Māui dolphins.

Recognising birdsong to protect threatened native birds

Our machine learning technology is being used by Victoria University to help them digest tens of thousands of hours of birdsong to pick out threatened birds, like hihi, saddleback and kakariki. The recordings captured birds at 50 locations in and around Wellington sanctuary Zealandia, but researchers were overwhelmed by the vast data-bank facing them.

Leveraging our TensorFlow technology, the AI system learned to recognise different bird calls, effectively measuring the activity of each bird species at specific times and locations. Due to the limited information about threatened bird species outside of wildlife sanctuaries, it was difficult to know how to maximise conservation efforts. By combining acoustic sensors and AI, researchers can gather enough information to identify the location and visiting frequency of threatened birds outside protected areas – thereby allowing better planning for future conservation efforts.

Creating a better world for future generations

Supporting the conservation efforts of our customers is just one part of our commitment to creating a better future for future generations. We haven’t reached the finish line yet, there’s still much more to be done. We look forward to continuing to support the work our customers are doing to drive conservation, as well as the role that new technologies, like AI and machine learning, play in improving these efforts.

Introducing the second-gen Nest Hub from Google, the centre of your helpful home. Stay entertained with shows, videos and music. And control your compatible smart devices with a tap or your voice.

The Nest Hub you love, but better

The new Nest Hub has rich sound to fill any room with music, podcasts and audiobooks from services like YouTube Music and Spotify. Just ask Google to play your favourite shows and movies on Netflix, YouTube and Disney+. Catch up on sports highlights on YouTube. And find how-to videos on just about anything. With Quick Gestures, you can pause or play content at any time by tapping the air in front of your display.  

The new Nest Hub shows all your compatible connected devices in one place so you can control them with one tap. And with a built-in Thread radio, Nest Hub will work with the new connectivity standard being created by the Project Connected Home over IP working group, making it even simpler to control your connected home. 

Nest Hub is also full of help for your busy home. See your calendar, set timers and create reminders so everyone stays on track. Just say, “Hey Google, broadcast it’s dinnertime” and everyone will hear it on your Nest speakers around the house. Ask Google about the weather or almost anything.

New sleep features for better rest

The Nest Hub has always helped you tackle the day; now, it can help you rest well at night. Many of us don’t get enough sleep, which is becoming the number one concern for adults when it comes to health and wellness. 

As people have started to recognise the need for better sleep, sleep trackers have continued to become a popular solution. But we wanted to offer an alternative way for people who may not want to wear something to bed to understand their sleep.

We dug into the data, and because we also knew people felt comfortable with Nest Hub at their bedsides thanks to its camera-free design, we went to work. The result is Sleep Sensing, an opt-in feature to help you understand and improve your sleep — and is available as a free preview until next year.

Sleep Sensing is completely optional with privacy safeguards in place so you’re in control: You choose if you want to enable it and there's a visual indicator on the display to let you know when it’s on. Motion Sense only detects motion, not specific bodies or faces, and your coughing and snoring audio data is only processed on the device — it isn’t sent to Google servers. You have multiple controls to disable Sleep Sensing features, including a hardware switch that physically disables the microphone. You can review or delete your sleep data at any time, and consistent with our privacy commitments, it isn't used for personalised ads.

Even if you choose not to enable Sleep Sensing, you can still fall asleep and wake up easier with Nest Hub. The display dims to make your bedroom more sleep-friendly, and the “Your evening” page helps you wind down at night with relaxing sounds. When it’s time to wake up, Nest Hub’s Sunrise Alarm gradually brightens the display and increases the alarm volume. If you need a few more ZZZs, use Motion Sense to wave your hand and snooze the alarm. 

Sustainable design that matches any room

The new Nest Hub will be available to Kiwis in two colours, to complement most rooms in the house: Chalk and Charcoal. It features an edgeless glass display that’s easy to clean and makes your Nest Hub an even more beautiful digital photo frame. And continuing our commitment to sustainability, Nest Hub is designed with recycled materials with its plastic mechanical parts containing 54 percent recycled post-consumer plastic.

Today, I’m pleased to share Google’s 2020 Economic Impact Report - examining the economy-wide opportunity in digital transformation of New Zealand, and how Google contributes to and directly supports Kiwi businesses and consumers. 

The report examines how technology can play a critical role in New Zealand's post-COVID economic recovery. If fully leveraged, digital technologies could add $46.6 billion to our economy by 2030 - equivalent to 14% of GDP in 2019 - the same as the combined GDP supported by Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay. Supporting technological adoption in key industries, digital upskilling and promoting digital export will all be critical to realising this potential.

Key findings: 

• Kiwi businesses derive $3 billion in annual benefits from Google tools and services, through increased revenues, millions of connections with customers and greater efficiencies, saving time and money.

• Consumers receive $3.5 billion in annual benefits by experiencing greater convenience, access to information, and enhanced productivity.

• Kiwi app developers earn $30.7 million in annual revenue through Google Play, reaching over 1 billion users globally.

• Search saves users almost 5 days a year (i.e a whole working week!), and drivers save 4.1 hours per year using Google Maps to optimise their driving journeys.

• Google Maps helps reduce the carbon footprint of New Zealanders, helping to save between 30,400 – 40,300 tonnes of CO2 emissions from vehicles in 2019; Equivalent to the emissions from around 6,600 to 8,700 cars.

• Over 20% of YouTube users in New Zealand say they use online video services to learn advanced digital skills.

Digital Transformation to Support post-Covid Recovery

If fully leveraged by 2030, digital technologies could create up to $46.6billion in economic value. To put that into perspective, that’s the equivalent of the combined GDP supported by Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay. This digital transformation should be New Zealand’s route to economic recovery post COVID-19 as many key technologies will help mitigate impacts of the pandemic.

For example, Internet-of-Things (IoT)-enabled supply chain management, could transform both agriculture and food, and manufacturing industries. And in a year when health was at the forefront of everyone’s minds, technological advancements could bring healthcare services to our fingertips. New Zealand has not yet seen widespread uptake of mobile telehealth applications in the healthcare sector, or the use of smartphone based government e-services to streamline the delivery of public services.

Three key pillars of action to fully realise the potential of digital technologies include:

• Supporting technological adoption in key industries

• Upskilling our current workforce and future talent

• Promoting digital export opportunities.

Google’s economic impact in Aotearoa

There’s never been a year with so much change as we’ve just seen in 2020 and the impacts of the pandemic and its effects on businesses has been overwhelming. 

But at the same time, it’s been inspiring to watch the way businesses across Aotearoa have managed those challenges to cope. Our Economic Impact Report shows how local businesses have increasingly moved online to continue to provide vital services and succeed in this difficult year. 

Successfully adapting to the challenges of COVID-19 by proactively embracing the opportunities provided by digital adoption, Auckland-based Kitchen Mania utilised Google Ads to boost visibility of its online “GST Free May” campaign and was able to attract double the number of new customers looking to redesign their kitchen over the lockdown period. This kitchen design company is one example of the many New Zealand businesses using Google’s free tools and services-to reach new customers, advertise effectively where they couldn’t before and make use of new digital skills.