Google is testing out a new feature for Google Assistant that will only give out good news
These days it easy to feel like the world is going to hell. We have Brexit in the U.K. and a President in the U.S. who makes ’round-the-clock headlines. Add to that global warming, a never-ending war in Syria, a financial crisis that just won’t seem to go away and it is nearly enough to make us want to give up on the news altogether. I mean, why bother? Well for all of us news weary heavy-hearted souls, Google thinks it has the answer.
“Hey Google, Tell me something good.”
Google Assistant is testing a brand-new feature for Assistant. The “experimental” new feature means if you have a Google Assistant-enabled device, that simple command will have your faithful AI assistant regale you with nothing but good news from around the world. In a blog post announcing the “glass half full” feature, Google described Tell me something good as offering:
“… a brief news summary about people who are solving problems for our communities and our world.”
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Read NowBehind the positive news stories Google Assistant will be serving up is the not-for-profit Solutions Journalism Network. Solutions Journalism aims to report on stories that show how problems are solved. The news stories will be aggregated from numerous sources with examples including:
“good news like how Georgia State University coupled empathy with data to double its graduation rate and eliminate achievement gaps between white and black students, how backyard beekeepers in East Detroit are bringing back the dwindling bee population while boosting the local economy, and how Iceland curbed teen drinking with nightly curfews and coupons for kids to enroll in extracurricular activities.”
There is no doubt that hearing positive news stories will have a positive effect on our well-being. Hearing about humanity has overcome collective problems can act as a breath of mental fresh air. For its part, as well as testing this new feature, Google says it is working on incorporating more solutions-based journalism into all its news offerings.
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Read NowIt is also important to note, however, that Google (like all tech companies) contributes to more than its fair share of the bad news we’re served up daily. Tax avoidance and app-addicted users are just the tip of the tech iceberg that threatens to sink us all. This is definitely a step in the right direction from the search giant though, and the positive effort must be applauded. Keep up the good work, Google.
