2021 Year in Review: Google Quantum AI

Google’s Quantum AI team has had a productive 2021. Despite ongoing global challenges, we’ve made significant progress in our effort to build a fully error-corrected quantum computer, working towards our next hardware milestone of building an error-corrected quantum bit (qubit) prototype. At the same time, we have continued our commitment to realizing the potential of quantum computers in various applications. That's why we published results in top journals, collaborated with researchers across academia and industry, and expanded our team to bring on new talent and expertise.

An update on hardware

The Quantum AI team is determined to build an error-corrected quantum computer within the next decade, and to simultaneously use what we learn along the way to deliver helpful—and even transformational—quantum computing applications. This long-term commitment is expanded broadly into three key questions for our quantum hardware:

1. Can we demonstrate that quantum computers can outperform the classical supercomputers of today in a specific task? We demonstrated beyond-classical computation in 2019.
2. Can we build a prototype of an error-corrected qubit? In order to use quantum computers to their full potential, we will need to realize quantum error correction to overcome the noise that is present during our computations. As a key step in this direction, we aim to realize the primitives of quantum error correction by redundantly encoding quantum information across several physical qubits, demonstrating that such redundancy leads to an improvement over using individual physical qubits. This is our current target.
3. Can we build a logical qubit which does not have errors for an arbitrarily long time? Logical qubits encode information redundantly across several physical qubits, and are able to reduce the impact of noise on the overall quantum computation. Putting together a few thousand logical qubits would allow us to realize the full potential of quantum computers for various applications.

An interactive map of our journey to build an error-corrected quantum computer

Progress toward building an error-corrected qubit prototype

The distance between the noisy quantum computers of today and the fully error-corrected quantum computers of the future is vast. In 2021, we made significant progress in closing this gap by working toward building a prototype logical qubit whose errors are smaller than those of the physical qubits on our chips.

This work requires improvements across the entire quantum computing stack. We have made chips with better qubits, improved the methods that we use to package these chips to better connect them with our control electronics, and developed techniques to calibrate large chips with several dozens of qubits simultaneously.

These improvements culminated in two key results. First, we are now able to reset our qubits with high fidelity, allowing us to reuse qubits in quantum computations. Second, we have realized mid-circuit measurement that allows us to keep track of computation within quantum circuits. Together, the high-fidelity resets and mid-circuit measurements were used in our recent demonstration of exponential suppression of bit and phase flip errors using repetition codes, resulting in 100x suppression of these errors as the size of the code grows from 5 to 21 qubits.

Suppression of logical errors as the number of qubits in the repetition code is increased. As we increase the code size from 5 to 21 qubits, we see 100x reduction in logical. Image acknowledgement: Kevin Satzinger/Google Quantum AI

Repetition codes, an error correction tool, enable us to trade-off between resources (more qubits) and performance (lower error) which will be central in guiding our hardware research and development going forward. This year we showed how error decreases as we increase the number of included qubits for a 1-dimensional code. We are currently running experiments to extend these results to two-dimensional surface codes which will correct errors more comprehensively.

Applications of quantum computation

In addition to building quantum hardware, our team is also looking for clear margins of quantum advantage in real world applications. With our collaborators in academia and industry, we are exploring fields where quantum computers can provide significant speedups, with realistic expectations that error-corrected quantum computers will likely require better than quadratic speedups for meaningful improvements.

As always, our collaborations with academic and industry partners were invaluable in 2021. One notable collaboration with Caltech showed that, under certain conditions, quantum machines can learn about physical systems from exponentially fewer experiments than what is conventionally required. This novel method was validated experimentally using 40 qubits and 1300 quantum operations, demonstrating a substantial quantum advantage even with the noisy quantum processors we have today. This paves the way to more innovation in quantum machine learning and quantum sensing, with potential near-term use cases.

In collaboration with researchers at Columbia University, we combined one of the most powerful techniques for chemical simulation, Quantum Monte Carlo, with quantum computation. This approach surpasses previous methods as a promising quantum approach to ground state many-electron calculations, which are critical in creating new materials and understanding their chemical properties. When we run a component of this technique on a real quantum computer, we are able to double the size of prior calculations without sacrificing accuracy of the measurements, even in the presence of noise on a device with up to 16 qubits. The resilience of this method to noise is an indication of its potential for scalability even on today’s quantum computers.

We continue to study how quantum computers can be used to simulate quantum physical phenomena—as was most recently reflected in our experimental observation of a time crystal on a quantum processor (Ask a Techspert: What exactly is a time crystal?). This was a great moment for theorists, who’ve pondered the possibility of time crystals for nearly a century. In other work, we also explored the emergence of quantum chaotic dynamics by experimentally measuring out-of-time-ordered correlations on one of our quantum computers, which was done jointly with collaborators at the NASA Ames Research Center; and experimentally measuring the entanglement entropy of the ground state of the Toric code Hamiltonian by creating its eigenstates using shallow quantum circuits with collaborators at the Technical University of Munich.

Our collaborators contributed to, and even inspired, some of our most impactful research in 2021. Quantum AI remains committed to discovering and realizing meaningful quantum applications in collaboration with scientists and researchers from across the world in 2022 and beyond as we continue our focus on machine learning, chemistry, and many-body quantum physics.

You can find a list of all our publications here.

Continuing investment in the quantum computing ecosystem

This year, at Google’s annual developer conference, Google I/O, we reaffirmed our commitment to the roadmap and investments required to make a useful quantum computer within the decade. While we were busy growing in Santa Barbara, we also continue to support the enablement of researchers in the quantum community through our open source software. Our quantum programming framework, Cirq, continues to improve with contributions from the community. 2021 also saw the release of specialized tools in collaboration with partners in the ecosystem. Two examples of these are:

• The release of a new Fermionic Quantum Simulator for quantum chemistry applications in collaboration with QSimulate, taking advantage of the symmetry in quantum chemistry problems to provide efficient simulations.
• A significant upgrade to qsim which allows for simulation of noisy quantum circuits on high performance processors such as GPUs via Google Cloud, and qsim integration with NVIDIA’s cuQuantum SDK to enable qsim users to make the most of NVIDIA GPUs when developing quantum algorithms and applications.

We also released an open-source tool called stim, which provides a 10000x speedup when simulating error correction circuits.

You can access our portfolio of open-source software here.

Looking toward 2022

Resident quantum scientist Qubit the Dog taking part in a holiday sing-along led by team members Jimmy Chen and Ofer Naaman.

Through teamwork, collaboration, and some innovative science, we are excited about the progress that we have seen in 2021. We have big expectations for 2022 as we focus on progressing through our hardware milestones, the discovery of new quantum algorithms, and the realization of quantum applications on the quantum processors of today. To tackle our difficult mission, we are growing our team, building on our existing network of collaborators, and expanding our Santa Barbara campus. Together with the broader quantum community, we are excited to see the progress that quantum computing makes in 2022 and beyond.

by Emily Mount via The Keyword

Tools to help you tackle your New Year’s resolution

You always hear the standard New Year resolutions: Work out more. Run a marathon. Learn a new language. For me this year, it’s to learn three new party tricks (I’m optimistically hoping for more social interaction in 2022!). No matter what the goal is, it often feels that by February, I’ve lost some steam. Resolutions take time, and new habits and skills are (let’s admit) hard to build.

So this year, my New Year's resolution is to stick to a New Year’s resolution. So I did a little digging, and found a few tools that I have at my fingertips to get that resolution to stick.

First things first: Write down your goal

Don’t justthink about your resolution — write it down. If you live by your inbox, schedule send a January 1 New Year’s resolution email to yourself. What better way to kickstart the new year than with an email to your future self?

If you’re not into email, Google Keep is a great way to jot down resolution ideas. If you’re on the go when inspiration strikes, you can even create a Google Keep note with your voice.

And don’t forget good ol’ pen and paper. Recording something on paper is easy, and the physical movement of writing something down can make it stick in a certain way. So write it down, literally.

Read Article

Why is paper still so magical?

So many of our tools today are visual, but a Google researcher says there's still so much we can learn from paper.

Read Article

Next, create reminders

The hard part about keeping resolutions for me is changing my daily routine. So I decided to

break down my resolution into smaller goals, and set up check-ins on Google Calendar. Twice a month, I put aside time to learn a party trick (my first one is going to be rolling a coin across my knuckles), and half way through the year I set up a “dry run” performance with friends (whether that ends up being in-person or virtual) to keep myself accountable.

Aside from checkpoints, crossing items off a checklist also keeps me on track. So I further broke down my twice-a-month trick-learning efforts using Tasks. This means my smaller, bite-sized agenda items will show up everywhere, from Gmail to Google Slides (so I can’t ignore them!).

If you wrote down your resolution on Google Keep, that’s also a good place to create a to-do list and hit your smaller target goals on your way to your resolution. You can even set up timed reminders for each of the items to make sure you hit your goals.

Build satisfaction by tracking your progress

You can track your progress anywhere, like Keep or even Google Docs, but if you’re looking for more, try AppSheet . With AppSheet, you can build custom apps without any coding required. Need a custom app to track your workout progress? Looking for a journaling app on the go? AppSheet has a few templates you can try — or you can build your own if you want to get hyper-specific.

Make sure to reward yourself along the way

New habits and skills are hard to build, especially when you don’t see immediate results. So celebrating mini-milestones along the way (practiced 10 sessions ☑...rehearsed for my dry run ☑) help me stay motivated.

How you reward yourself is up to you — maybe it’s taking a day for self care, or simply exchanging words of encouragement with your friends and family – a little kudos goes a long way. And if at any point along the way toward your goal you begin to feel a little weary, try some of the advice from our resilience expert at Google, who talks about breaking tasks into smaller challenges that are easier to tackle.

Here’s to 2022 — and sticking with our New Year resolutions.

by Tracy Huang via The Keyword

“New normal” and other words we used a lot this year

There’s a lot to think about at the end of each year. What we accomplished, what we didn’t — what we made time for, or what we took a break from. At Google, the Search team looks at what sort of questions the world asked, and what answers we really needed. And of course, what momentary trends completely captivated us (looking at you, “tiktok pasta”).

As a writer, something I’ve been thinking about in the last few weeks of 2021 are the words we used this year. 2020 was the year of “now more than ever,” a phrase that began to feel meaningless as the “now more than ever”-worthy moments kept coming (and admittedly, as we all kept calling them that). If 2020 was the year of “now more than ever,” then what was 2021?

Read Article

The rise and fall and rise again of “now more than ever”

Feel like you’re hearing now more than ever now...more than ever? We used Google Books Ngram Viewer to chart the phrase.

Read Article

Once again, I turned to Ngrams, a Google tool launched in 2009 by part of the Google Books team. Ngrams shows how books and other pieces of literature have used certain words or phrases over time, and you can chart their popularity throughout the years. One caveat: Ngrams currently tracks data from 1800 to 2019 — prior to 2020, Ngrams’ data ranged from 1800 to 2012, but the team added a huge new dataset about two years ago. So while it remains to be seen how some sayings took over writing throughout 2020 and 2021, I wanted to see how the words we’re hearing and saying and writing today have shown up over time.

My first nomination: “new normal.” This is a phrase that I personally have heard…well, now more than ever, I suppose. This isn’t the first time “new normal” appeared in the lexicon, though: You can see it began to see small bursts of usage in literature and other writing in the mid-19th century — though if you use Ngrams to see some of the examples of how it showed up, “new normal” was often in reference to types of academic institutions. And then “new normal” just sort of faded away…until the aughts, when it dramatically rose. Michael Ballback, who works on Google Books, told me that a lot of post-2000s data added comes from e-books, whereas older data mostly came from libraries, so perhaps this could account for some of the jump. In any case, today it now completely permeates our writing. (Which raises the question: Is there such a thing as normal if they’re constantly new?)

Then of course, I thought of “vaccine,” which actually began its Ngrams debut on a high, falling sharply between 1800 and 1813…only to rise again in the early to mid 1900s, when many scholarly articles were published about things like typhoid, cholera and pertussis vaccinations. Then it goes up and down, up and down, to an all-time high in 2003. It’s since slightly fallen off — but remember, Ngrams’ data goes up until 2019, so I have my own assumptions about how it’s fared the past two years.

Google Books Ngrams Viewer chart showing the use over time of the phrase “vaccine,” which rises consistently beginning in 1900.

Lastly, I took a look at “hybrid.” Obviously it’s a word that’s been around for awhile (according to Ngrams, it’s been in use since at least the year 1800, which is how far the tool’s data goes back) and has gently, steadily risen since. It spiked in the early ‘80s, though, but in browsing snippets from Google Books from this time period, it was used similarly to how it is now. Later in the aughts, we start seeing it used to describe cars, and today…well, you probably already know.

What “hybrid” means hasn’t really changed, but it’s the situations we’re applying it to that have — there’s a much wider scope of daily life that falls under this category. “Hybrid” didn’t change, but how we live has. 2020 felt in many ways like a pause on life, and this year we began finding new, creative ways to adapt — a little of our old methods, mixed with the new. And that, to me, feels distinctly 2021.

by Molly The Keyword via The Keyword

The year in review: Take a bite out of 2021

Last year, as we wrapped up 2020, so many of us looked around and wondered what the world would be like now. Would many people return to the office? Would kids return to classrooms? Would we return to restaurants, concerts, football games? The COVID-19 vaccine helped move many of us in that direction, but as 2021 ends, we’re still grappling with many of those same questions.

On The Keyword, and at Google as a whole, we focused on those questions, too. We shared updates around vaccine equity and the hybrid workplace, but also returned to hosting events like Google I/O — digitally. And we had some fun along the way, too. Here’s a look at what we were up to in 2021.

Read Article

2020, finally over: Stories from Google this year

A look back on the biggest stories from Google this year.

Read Article

1. Through 2021, the world’s focus was still on COVID-19, and that was also the case at Google. We announced new tools to support vaccine access and distribution, ways we’re helping get vaccines to more people around the world and technology to improve searches for vaccine information. We also stayed committed to vaccine equity, and equity around health. Within Google, we gave a preview of our hybrid approach to work, and shared several updates about our approach to returning to the office.

2. Of course, hybrid work wasn’t just top of mind for Googlers. The nature of work changed for many people around the world in 2021, and we responded with new products and initiatives to prepare for our “new normal.” We opened up Workspace for everyone, and shared hybrid work tips from our own productivity expert. We provided resources for businesses on the road to recovery, from small businesses to LGBTQ+ spaces. And we expanded our Grow with Google Career Certificate program to help job seekers at community colleges and in the military community.

10:25

3. Teachers and students were particularly affected by the pandemic, and we were hard at work improving the virtual and hybrid learning experience. We launched more than 50 new education features for products like Classroom, Meet and Cloud, and launched Workspace for Education to give educators and administrators more flexibility. Throughout the year, we also took the time to give teachers the appreciation they deserve.

4. 2021 marked the return of Google I/O, which went fully digital this year — and was free for everyone. We previewed new software, including Android 12, and new technologies like LaMDA, MUM and Project Starline. I/O also included a glimpse into our new Quantum AI campus, and gave Googlers who attended a chance to finally meet one another in person.

The technology behind Project Starline

5. I/O wasn’t the only time we unveiled new products. This year marked the launch of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, which feature the Google Tensor chip and come in a fresh new set of colors. This was also the year Google acquired Fitbit, which launched the Charge 5 and Luxe and even partnered with Will Smith. We also introduced the new Nest Hub (which required some sleeping on the job), and a new set of Nest Cams and Doorbells.

6. We shared how AI is making information more useful in our second annual Search On event, and showed how AI is redefining what a map can be as well as helping map buildings in Africa. The Keyword spoke to Googler Marian Croak, who brought together our Responsible AI team, after she was honored by the National Inventors Hall of Fame for her work in advancing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technologies. And we spotlighted another Googler who created a crossword puzzle you can play to learn more about responsible AI.

7. Throughout the year, The Keyword highlighted Googlers who do fascinating things, both at work and during their free time. From Chrome OS design to children’s books, from interns to Olympians, the people behind our products stayed busy in 2021.

10:25

8. In one of The Keyword team’s favorite posts of the year, a Googler shared his story of communicating with his parents who are deaf using Google products. It was just one of many accessibility updates this year, including how we’re making Android more accessible and testing a new project to make communication more accessible for people with speech impairments. We spotlighted how an autistic Googler communicated with his manager, and a drummer who used AI to build a prosthetic arm.

9. As we make technological advances, we always kept our impact on the planet in mind. On The Keyword, we took a look at a water-saving entrepreneur and previewed our “dragonscale” solar panels. We announced new progress toward our 24/7 carbon-free energy goal, talked about how climate change was the next big moonshot — and used Google Earth timelapses to show just how much work there is left to do.

10. We continued to focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, posting updates on the racial equity commitments we announced in 2020 and launching new funds for Black and Latino entrepreneurs. We made our inclusive marketing toolkit available to everyone, partnered with HBCUs to address the diversity gap in technology and invested in Black-led startups and investment firms. And this focus extended to our products as well: The Pixel 6 comes with a more equitable camera that can better reflect all skin tones.

11. Google opened new offices around the world in 2021, from Taiwan to Ireland to New Zealand. We also launched new initiatives to promote the digital future across the globe, including through our Google for Africa event, our Digital Future Initiative in Australia and our partnership with Jio in India. Google News Showcase expanded around the world, and the Google News Initiative’s Innovation Challenge sparked new ideas in the global news industry. And Google.org’s Impact Challenge for Women and Girls, with help from none other than Shakira, backed 34 organizations around the world.

The Blob Opera performs with Tune-Yards at I/O.

12. When they weren’t going on a world tour with the Blob Opera, which made a splash performing at I/O, the team at Google Arts & Culture were helping us match our pets with works of art — oh, and reviving long-lost masterpieces by Gustav Klimt. In other artistic pursuits, one Doodle this year paid tribute to the late DJ Avicii — and another, created by Doodle for Google winner Milo, was all about finding hope and resilience.

13. As parts of the world began to open up again, that meant the return of sports, too. The 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games actually took place in the summer of 2021, and Google was along for the ride. And in the U.S. we announced partnerships with the NBA and the WNBA — and perhaps most importantly of all, looked at the Search trends for the most im-paw-tant sports event of the year: the Puppy Bowl.

---

This is just a short list of everything Google was up to in 2021. And in 2022, as things (hopefully) move closer toward whatever “normal” means now, we’re looking forward to sharing more new discoveries, updates and stories.

Read Article

2019 in review: Stories from Google this year

A look back at the stories that we shared from Google in 2019.

Read Article

More from this Collection

Oh snow helpful: Holiday tips from Google

A collection of holiday tips, tricks and tools from Google.

View all 12 articles

by Megan FriedmanThe Keyword via The Keyword

5 Google for Creators highlights in 2021

Before we jump into 2022, the Google for Creators team is looking back at some of our favorite moments from this year. Check out our top five highlights from 2021.

The Google for Creators website features guides, event listings, a blog and more to help creators learn and grow.

1. Launching Google for Creators

In October, we launched Google for Creators, a hub for content creators looking for information and inspiration. Along with guides for creating a content strategy, expanding your audience and choosing a monetization approach, you’ll find upcoming events, tips from seasoned creators and blog posts with the latest updates from the creator economy.

10:25

2. Celebrating women of color creators

On November 19, Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, we launched The Conversation, a new video series celebrating women of color creators. Guests, like beauty and lifestyle creator Tyla-Lauren Gilmore and fashion model and creative director Hannah Mussette, talk about how their backgrounds have shaped their brands and share their personal successes and struggles as full-time creators. Stay tuned for more episodes of The Conversation in 2022.

Google for Creators interviewed Giannina Ong, the Editor in Chief of Mochi Magazine, the longest-running online publication for Asian American women.

3. Interviewing inspiring creators

We’ve interviewed so many fascinating people on our blog, including the editor in chief of the longest-running Asian American women’s online magazine; a queer automotive educator, journalist and influencer who started an inclusive car blog; a former lawyer who became a full-time vegan food blogger; and a ceramicist whose content showcases her artistic process. Their stories show the endless topics, communities and niches that you can create content for and about on the web.

10:25

4. Tapping into expert insights

For our Creator Insights YouTube series, we asked some of our favorite creators — like Eden Hagos and Elle Asiedu of BLACK FOODIE, and beauty blogger Keiko Lynn — to share their top insights and strategies for creating content, building a brand and making money as a creator. Some topics included how to find your niche, avoid burnout and pitch yourself to brands.

Follow Google for Creators on Instagram and Twitter, where we regularly connect with the creator community and post advice and insights.

5. Connecting with creators on social

We hope you’ve been following Google for Creators on Twitter and Instagram, where we share everything we’re up to. We also love connecting with the creator community on our social channels. If you’ve ever wanted to ask us a question, or answer one of ours with your own tips, that’s where to do it!

We had a blast sharing stories and insights from all the creators we spoke to in 2021, and we can’t wait to connect with even more next year. See you in 2022!

by Sarah Han via The Keyword

12 features we launched — and loved — in 2021

Pop quiz: How long was 2021? So much happened this year that it seems impossible it was a mere 365 days. Here at Google, we launched the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, a new Nest Hub, lots of new Google Photos features and…well, this list could quite literally go on and on and on. Instead, here are 12 product updates from 2021 that you may have missed.

1. This summer, we refreshed a handful of emoji designs to make them cuter, more accurate and more flexible in meaning — plus it included fun new additions like Dark Mode.
2. In October, we launched Wait Times, a new feature for Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro phones that shows you how long the current wait time is when you’re calling a business or customer service number. It also shows you the projected wait times for the rest of the week, so you can decide when you want to make the call.
3. Fitbit Premium added Daily Readiness, a new score that tells you how ready you are for your next workout — or if you should prioritize recovery.
4. Activity Zones for all! This Nest Cam and Nest Doorbell feature, which lets you set up specific areas for your devices to pay attention to, was formerly only available with a Nest Aware subscription. In August, with the launch of Nest’s new cameras and doorbell, it became available on those devices at no additional cost.
5. Google TV launched in 2020, and in 2021 launched Watch With Me, a series on Google TV that teams up with your favorite stars like Simu Liu and Taraji P. Henson to share their favorite shows and movies (and snacks) with us.
6. For all their benefits, smart home stuff can also be confusing. To try and make it easier to understand, we launchedthe Google smart home directory, a website that shows you what kinds of products and systems work with Google Assistant. It also lets you filter by categories and prices, and features reviews.
7. Sure, the new Fitbit Luxe is stylish, but it also helps you manage your physical and mental health, with features like Active Zone Minutes and a Stress Management Score.
8. In March, we unveiled the second-generation Nest Hub, which comes with Sleep Sensing. This optional feature analyzes the movement and breathing of the person in the designated sleep zone to offer information on how well they’re sleeping, as well as customized tips on getting better sleep.
   

Read Article

Sleeping on the job: How we built the new Nest Hub

Take a look inside Google Health's sleep lab, Forty Winks, and learn about everything that went into testing and building the new Nest Hub.

Read Article

9. Guest Modefor devices including the Nest Audio and Nest Hub Max arrived this year, allowing you to give visitors the ability to ask Google Assistant questions, use timers or play music — without these interactions being saved to or affecting your account. All you have to say is “Hey Google, turn on Guest Mode.”

10. The Translate filter for Google Lens got an update that made it easier to highlight text and copy, listen to or search to find more in-depth information about specific phrases.

11. Accessibility updates were a major focus in 2021, including Select-to-speakupdates. Select-to-Speak is a Chromebook feature where users can select text to hear it spoken out loud in a variety of languages and accents, and now you can speed up, slow down or pause the voice, among other added controls. This is especially helpful for those who want to hear content read in a specific accent, or for someone with Dyslexia.

12. Google Photos launched an improvement to the popular auto enhance feature powered by Real Tone, which can improve color and lighting for any photo and works well across skin tones, regardless of what device you used or how long ago you took it.

Now…onto 2022! Hopefully it feels like it goes a little quicker than this year…

by Molly The Keyword via The Keyword

The Googlers who help track Santa each Christmas

When Dave Holmes started at Google nearly 10 years ago, he couldn’t have known how many projects he’d work on or things he’d help build. One of them he’s loved working, though, is Santa Tracker. “I’ve been working on Santa Tracker…well, I think for nearly as long as I’ve been at Google.”

Santa has his own history with Google, too. A 2004 mapping software acquisition brought a new team to Google, and that team wondered: Could we put Santa’s flight on the map?

So we did. Santa Tracker launched in 2004, and has been an important project at Google ever since. While there’s a small core team dedicated to Santa, up to 20 or so Googlers volunteer to help make it happen every year, and it’s become a true community effort. It’s also a way for our developers to try things and see what Google products can do. Sam Thorogood, who’s led our work with Santa for the last seven seasons, thought he’d try it out and work on showing off cool new web technologies for a bit. “Turns out I enjoyed it a lot, and I kept coming back to keep improving it,” he says.

I like to say that everything I’ve learned at Google, I learned from Santa. Dave Holmes

“We figured out how to do so many different things because of Santa Tracker — how to build things, how to launch things, how to make things accessible, how to improve web design, how to optimize tools,” Dave says. “I like to say that everything I’ve learned at Google, I learned from Santa.” And those lessons have benefited other areas at Google, like Doodles and apps developers create for events like Google I/O.

Some years the Santa Tracker team adds lots of new functions and fun interactions, and other years they simply tweak what’s already there. Santa Tracker, like so many things at Google, has adjusted throughout the years: For instance, the elves ride bikes instead of driving cars now, and last and this year Santa wears a mask to protect himself and others against COVID-19. Also this year, when you ask “Where is Santa?” on Search, you’ll see a fun surprise (no spoilers here!).

Last year and this year, Santa wears a mask to protect himself and others.

Among Dave’s favorite Santa Tracker projects is the Google Assistant integration, where people can ask to hear stories about Santa’s journey. He also enjoyed updating Santa’s soundtrack. He admits the team got a bit weary of hearing Santa’s same song on replay, so they came up with multiple tunes. “We ended up making a video similar to the crackling yule log ones, but featuring Santa.” (Go ahead and give it a listen.)

Some highlights for Sam over the years include adding Google Maps Local Guides’ photos to Santa’s route, and Code Boogie, a coding game where you can teach elves to dance. He’s also personally responsible for Elf Maker, in which you can create your own elf. “I’m really proud of that!” And he points out Snowball Storm, too, which another developer made that he was particularly impressed by.

There have also been little updates, like asking the creator of the Santa Tracker font to adjust the type so people all over the world could read it better. Of course, not everything Santa’s team worked on…worked. “One engineer who focused on AI and human movement came up with this idea for a game where you could enable tracking on your computer and teach the elves to dance,” Dave says, “and they would mimic your movement.” But just before launch…they found a glitch. “If the tracker lost you for a second…the elves' heads and arms would go flying off!” Santa and the team decided not to launch the game. “That game was sent back to Elf engineering for further work,” Dave says.

Once all of this work is done, there’s the job of bringing Santa to everyone else. Part of Rachelle Lacroix’s work at Google for the past five holiday seasons has been doing exactly this. “Using marketing channels and social media, I help make sure people around the world can easily find and experience Santa Tracker,” she says. Rachelle says she’s loved seeing the creativity from teams come out in our work with Santa, but simply being a part of this group is one of the best parts for her. “Technical and creative Googlers alike really tap into their childhood when they work with Santa,” Rachelle says. “So much thought and care goes into every detail — and the team takes this work very seriously! Still, we find ways to have fun ... it's hard not to smile at all of the playful holiday puns that pop into our meetings and emails.”

Dave and Sam both feel the same. “It's been the most fun meeting people — virtually or, in the ‘before times,’ by cycling around campus — who I wouldn't otherwise interact with,” Sam says.

As the team prepares to help Santa launch this year, the work is winding down, and Dave and the rest of the group will return to their normal jobs. Still, the once-a-year project comes with its benefits. “It’s like a minor celebrity status,” Dave says. “I’ve loved telling my son I work with Santa.”

Read Article

Santa Claus is coming to town — and we interviewed him

We talked to Kris Kringle himself about a few ways people around the world can get ready for the big night with help from Google.

Read Article

by Molly The Keyword via The Keyword

Santa Claus is coming to town — and we interviewed him

It’s 7 degrees below zero when we step off the Polar Express. There’s a slight breeze that feels almost cryogenic and a loud “crunch!” as our boots hit the snow. But the real first impression of Santa’s Village: the warm familiarity of visiting a place you’ve never been, but is exactly as you imagined.

It’s no secret that Google loves celebrating the holiday season. The Google Arts & Culture team have brought us the warmth of the Festival of Lights and the harmony of Kwanzaa; and they’ve taken us from Norway’s Trafalgar Square to the Christmas Lights of London. And of course, there’s Santa Tracker — with a few related easter eggs from the Search team that appear when users around the world search for “Christmas.”

Maybe all the free press is why this year, we’ve been invited to interview Santa. And perfect timing too: According to Google Trends, searches for “Santa Claus” are on their annual rise.

Thanks for having us! Let’s get started: Traditionally, people have been encouraged to write you letters. Any update on how to get in touch with you?

During the month of December, anyone in the world can use Google Assistant to get in touch with me directly. Just say “Hey Google, Call Santa” and we’ll have a chat, and maybe you can help the elves create a holiday song.”

Santa, have you been working on any North Pole launches lately?

A few! You’ve seen the historical depictions of me, but now you can color your own holiday works with Art Coloring Book. And it’s always fun to sing the songs of the season with your family, but you might want to give it some practice with the Blob Opera beforehand — ho, ho, ho!

Santa on Santa

• Sketch of Santa urging reindeer off a roof

  Urging the reindeer off a roof - 1891. Santa - “Clement Moore’s classic poem works for me because he name-checks the reindeer—giving each the credit they are due. I’ve always been a reindeer populist.”

• Sketch of Santa driving an early car

  Santa on a Motor Car - 1896. Santa - “Putting me on an early version of the car felt a little performative, to me. Plus, as a lifelong sleigh rider, I’ve been fairly clear about my support for sustainable transportation options.”

• Image of Santa and angel at Christmas tree

  Christmas tree greeting angel and Santa Claus. Santa - “Here, a 1900 image from the UK has me being escorted into someone’s home by an angel. I’m happy to hang out with anyone, as long as it’s in the positive spirit of giving.”

• Sketch of Nicolo and the Krampus

  Nicolo & the Krampus - 1905. Santa - “Cmon’, ho-ho-ho, what is this? I understand it’s “art,” but this illustration of Nicolo and the Krampus feels very transactional. Be good, or else! This is absolutely not my vibe.”

• 1896 board game of the night before Christmas

  Board game: the night before Christmas - 1896. Santa - “I like this one. It says, “Here I come, in peace, bearing presents! It also reflects the fact that I come in through the chimney—when a door would be easier—to show how serious I am about giving!”

• Picture of Santa at a New York City coffee shop in 1962

  Coffee Break during NYC Christmas season - 1962. Santa - "“I love this—even though I said “No cameras!” It was one of the few live shots taken of me. The only place with warm drinks on par with the North Pole may be Greenwich Village.”

We know people can call you from their Google Assistant…but you seem pretty busy. Is there a good way to check in without bothering you?

It’s never a bother! But all December we’re bringing back our North Pole Newscast. Just ask your Google Assistant “What’s going on at the North Pole?” and check in with Dimplesticks the Elf for reports from Santa's Village.

You’ve been so generous with your time. Any last thoughts?

Santa’s Village is live and everyone is welcome to join in the fun, and see what Mrs. Claus and the elves are up to! But — biggest of all — kids around the world can start following the Santa Tracker on the big night (December 24), and Google Assistant can help. Just ask, "Hey Google, track Santa" or "Hey Google, where is Santa right now?"

by Jack Frost via The Keyword

Austria’s New Copyright Law

Editors note: To read this post in German, visit this link.

The Austrian legislator has just adopted significant changes to copyright law, implementing the European Copyright Directive from 2019. These changes include the incorporation of Article 15, which introduces a new ancillary copyright for press publishers. Google intends to enter into negotiations with press publishers in Austria to license their content under these new rights.

Austria’s new copyright law provides two important guiding principles. On the one hand, people and platforms can continue to link to, and use, very short extracts of press publishers’ content. At the same time, the law creates new rights for news publishers when extended previews of their work are used online. While the law does not define the scope of protected content, we will make offers for Extended News Previews (such content that may be protected by the new law) with press publishers in Austria.

This follows discussions we have already started with hundreds of news publishers across countries including Germany, Hungary, France, Denmark and the Netherlands, where the law is now in effect, and follows our previously announced agreements in Germany.

As always, publishers have full control over whether or not their content shows up in Search, and how much of that content can be used in a preview. They can change these settings at any time and we will continue to display previews in accordance with those settings provided by publishers.

We hope to reach agreements that enable us to continue to support access to information and journalism in Austria, without harming important principles of the open web.

Alongside these discussions we will continue to invest in our support for journalism. As people in Austria increasingly go online to get their news, journalists and publishers are turning to technology to reach their readers. Google helps people find that information by linking to news and other websites, and provides tools, advertising technology and funding to enable publishers to make money online. Earlier this year we also launched our licensing programme for news, Google News Showcase, in Austria as part of our ongoing support for journalism in Austria.

We look forward to working with publishers and journalists on all these efforts in the coming years.

by Christine Antlanger-Winter via The Keyword

Österreichs neues Urheberrechtsgesetz

Der österreichische Gesetzgeber hat soeben Änderungen des Urheberrechtsgesetzes beschlossen, mit denen die europäische Urheberrechtsrichtlinie von 2019 umgesetzt wird. Zu diesen Änderungen gehört die Einbindung von Artikel 15 der Richtlinie, der ein Leistungsschutzrecht für Presseverlage einführt. Google beabsichtigt, mit Presseverleger:innen in Österreich in Verhandlungen zu treten, um ihre Inhalte im Rahmen dieses neuen Rechts zu lizenzieren.

Das novellierte österreichische Urheberrechtsgesetz enthält zwei wichtige Leitprinzipien. Einerseits dürfen Personen und Plattformen weiterhin auf sehr kurze Auszüge von Inhalten der Presseverlage verlinken und diese nutzen. Gleichzeitig schafft das Gesetz neue Rechte für Presseverlage, wenn größere Auszüge aus ihren Werken online verwendet werden. Obwohl das Gesetz den Umfang der geschützten Inhalte nicht definiert, werden wir österreichischen Presseverlagen Angebote für eine erweiterte Vorschau von Inhalten, also Extended News Previews (solche Inhalte, die möglicherweise durch das neue Gesetz geschützt werden) machen.

Unser Ansatz folgt dem Vorbild von Gesprächen, die wir bereits mit Hunderten von Nachrichtenverlagen in Ländern wie Deutschland, Ungarn, Frankreich, Dänemark und den Niederlanden geführt haben, in denen das Gesetz bereits in Kraft ist, und folgt auf unsere zuvor angekündigten Vereinbarungen in Deutschland.

Wie bisher haben Verlage auch weiterhin die volle Kontrolle darüber, ob ihre Inhalte in der Google-Suche angezeigt werden oder nicht und in welcher Form diese Inhalte in einer Vorschau verwendet werden können. Sie können diese Einstellungen jederzeit ändern und wir werden die Vorschauen weiterhin gemäß den von ihnen vorgenommenen Einstellungen anzeigen.

Wir hoffen eine Einigung zu erzielen, die es uns ermöglicht, den Zugang zu Information und Journalismus in Österreich weiterhin zu unterstützen, ohne dabei die Grundprinzipien des offenen Internets zu verletzen.

Parallel zu diesen Gesprächen werden wir weiterhin in Journalismus investieren. Da die Österreicher:innen Nachrichten zunehmend online abrufen, nutzen Journalist:innen und Verlage Technologien, um ihre Leser:innen zu erreichen. Google hilft den Menschen, diese Informationen zu finden, indem wir Links zu Nachrichten- und anderen Websites anbieten und Tools, Werbetechnologien und Finanzmittel bereitstellen, mit denen Verlage online Geld verdienen können. Anfang des Jahres haben wir zudem unser Lizenzprogramm für Nachrichten, Google News Showcase, in Österreich gestartet.

Wir freuen uns auf die Zusammenarbeit mit Verlagen und Journalist:innen bei all diesen Initiativen in den kommenden Jahren.

by Christine Antlanger-Winter via The Keyword

Get content inspiration from December’s top search trends

Google for Creators is partnering with Google Trends to share some of the top searches every December. With the holidays upon us, we hope this helps creators put together any last-minute gift guides, listicles or other seasonal content your audience might be searching for.

What foods are people searching for during the holidays?

Seasonal eats are (of course) on people’s minds. Top food searches in December include mulled wine, hot cocoa, hot toddy, fudge and cookies. Speaking of cookies, the top-searched types are sugar, gingerbread, peanut butter, chocolate chip and shortbread. Stomach grumbling? Us, too.

Sugar cookies are the top-searched cookie type in December.

What are the top-searched holiday movies in the U.S.?

When December comes around, people are ready to curl up on the couch with a holiday movie. “Die Hard” is the top-searched holiday movie in the U.S., and other favorites include “Gremlins,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Home Alone” and “Lethal Weapon.” Fun fact — the U.S. is the only country where searches for “Elf” rank higher than “Love Actually.”

What are people in the U.S. curious about during the holidays?

You’re sure to hear a lot of Mariah Carey this time of year — which explains why one of the top-searched questions about her in the U.S. is “How much does Mariah Carey make every Christmas?”

Another insight that might help with last-minute gift guides: “Gifts for boyfriend” is searched two times more than “gifts for girlfriend,” while “gifts for wife” gets more searches than “gifts for husband.” Two gift ideas you might also want to cover, based on top-topic searches, are socks and sweaters.

Food and drink-focused creators, take note: The top day for cocktail searches is December 31, so be sure to line up some content about your favorite drink recipes in time for New Year’s Eve. Some other, not-so-surprising insights: Every December, search interest in “resume” goes down, while “champagne” goes up; and the top day for “hangover” searches is January 1.

People search for gift ideas for their partners during the holiday season.

What is everyone else in the world searching for in December?

Every December, people all over the world search for cheese and wine, baking, mince pie, tamale, candle, snowman, scarf and beanie. Certain countries see interest spike in particular seasonal goodies. In Japan, where eating fried chicken on Christmas Day has become a tradition, KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is the top food search. In Israel, latkes are always number one — but this year, searches for the fried potato fritters are at an all-time high. In France and Italy, the most-searched foods in December are Yule log and panettone, respectively.

Tamales, a popular Christmas food in Mexican and Central American cultures, are one of the most popular search terms in December worldwide.

What are some other top global seasonal trends?

Ever wonder what Boxing Day is all about? You’re not alone — it’s the top-searched question worldwide in December. People around the world also start searching for snowman-related topics, like how to draw and make a snowman. Another insight that might help family-focused content creators: This year, searches for “elf” and “the Elf on the Shelf” are at all-time highs.

This year, people are very interested in “the Elf on the Shelf.”

We hope you enjoyed these insights from the Google Trends team, and that they help you spread even more holiday cheer to your audiences.

by Sarah Han via The Keyword