In a memo Bloomberg obtained, Pichai wrote the move is needed to cut costs, and Alphabet will also cut back on investments in areas like machines and data centers. However, Pichai added, Alphabet will continue to hire in a small number of areas deemed strategic. Last year, Alphabet hired 20,000 new workers, and planned to add the same number in 2020. So far this year, the company has hired 4,000 people.

As a result, it is now easier for all G Suite customers to start and join calls and meetings from their email accounts. Google announced it will add support for mobile soon. It is just one of many new features Google has been quickly working on as the tech giant has seen a surge in demand for the tool. Other updates to be released soon - ahead of schedule - include the ability to filter out background noise, an updated layout that can display up to 16 call participants at once in one frame, and more.

Over the past few days, Verily expanded its free tests to Valley Cottage, New York; Waldwick, New Jersey; and four cities in Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Monroeville, and York. This in addition to the eight Californian cities Verily also now services: Sacramento, San Jose, San Mateo, Stockton, Lake Elsinore, Sherman Oaks, Long Beach, and San Francisco.

According to the tech giant, scammers have been sending an increasing amount of phishing emails, attempting to trick Gmail users into handing out their personal data by impersonating the World Health Organization and more. In the past week alone, Google says one-fifth of the 100 million phishing emails it blocked every day were related to the coronavirus.

In an arXiv paper, "Evolving Machine Learning Algorithms From Scratch," they introduced the program known as AutoML-Zero, which has the potential to develop AI algorithms using low-level math concepts (and with little to no human interaction involved). Similar to the evolutionary process, it improves code in each cycle by comparing the performance of candidate algorithms it generated against hand-created algorithms. During the process, the program edits, deletes, or replaces some of the code of the top-performing algorithms, which get added back into the population. The goal, according to computer scientists, is to scale up the work and forge new ML concepts that even researchers cannot find.

This story first appeared in Inside AI.

The feature relies on biometric authentication, requiring either Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode to access files. The feature turns on every time you close and reopen the Drive app, but users can manually turn this on and customize its timing.

Now, iPhone owners can use an Electronic SIM card (eSIM) to do so, although the option is only available to those owning models such as the XR, XS and newer, including the recently announced iPhone SE. You must also be a new customer to use the eSIM, which can be activated using the Fi app and a QR code to display to your computer. For more detailed instructions, click here.

Google received a Proggy 2020 award (according to PETA, "Proggy" stands for "progress") for creating a more humane world through the feature which, as the organization notes, allows people to see animals up close without having to visit a zoo or other place where animals are held in captivity. “Captive animals are involuntarily confined for a lifetime with no hope of ever being free,” PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said. For the award, Google will get a framed certificate and vegan chocolate bars.

So far, people can view more than 30 animals - including the latest iteration, an Easter Bunny - as part of Google's AR feature (which, for the record, includes other non-animal objects as well, such as France's Chauvet Cave and Neil Armstrong). Perhaps unsurprisingly, the tiger has been the most searched animal for the program so far, thanks to the popularity of Netflix's "Tiger King." For those who haven't tried the AR feature, it's easy to use: From your Android phone or tablet, go to google.com and search for an animal on the list. Tap "View in 3D" and then click on "View in your space" for a holographic image of the animal.

This story first appeared in Inside XR.

The move is designed to help make it easier to access such information after a record number of people have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. It is one of many new features Google has added to Search, including job-hunting tools and virtual healthcare options.

Instead of $269, readers can purchase a bundle boasting one Nest Wifi router and one Nest Wifi point for $199 instead. Shipping is free.