In a busy week of {hardware} and AI developments, Google shot to the highest of ZDNET’s Innovation Index, claiming the highest two spots in our survey of the main tech traits of the week. By pushing generative AI in search outcomes and infusing its maps platform with new travel-planning options, Google grabbed probably the most votes from our panel.

Every week, ZDNET’s editorial leaders slender down the highest 10 traits of the week, after which our panel votes to rank the highest 4. There have been three {hardware} tales and one other non-AI story among the many prime 10 this week, however none of them grabbed sufficient votes to make the ultimate 4. Our panel of journalists and analysts is all the time searching for the developments which might be probably the most revolutionary and may have the largest impression on the longer term. To date, that is meant that AI has dominated the leaderboard for the final 4 weeks. This is the hyperlink to final week’s report for example.

This week’s main traits had been:

1. Google now exhibits AI overviews above search outcomes for some customers
2. Google Maps introduces new options to grow to be your journey assistant
3. Microsoft integrates Copilot into Groups for AI-enhanced conferences
4. Claude 3 LLM surpasses GPT-4 in newest rankings for effectiveness

The highest vote-getter by a large margin was Google’s new experiment with putting a generative AI abstract above conventional search outcomes. That would have a huge effect on Google’s enterprise mannequin and on websites like ZDNET that get a lot of referrals from Google for its numerous pages. The subsequent main development was the improve to Google Maps that’s aimed toward serving to vacationers discover meals and actions whereas enjoying vacationer — simply in time for the summer time journey season. 

Subsequent got here Microsoft’s deployment of Copilot to assist enhance Groups conferences, following comparable strikes by Zoom. And eventually, the foundation of all generative AI developments — the Giant Language Mannequin (LLM) — bought some love with Claude 3’s shocking nod at being simpler than OpenAI’s GPT-4.

That is a wrap for this week. Examine again subsequent week for the most recent set of traits.