Source: The Verge
Summary
Google DeepMind is combining Street View with Project Genie to create interactive simulations. These simulations will allow users to explore environments, weather changes, and rare scenarios. The technology will be used for robotics, gaming, and travel. According to Google, this integration will enable more realistic and immersive experiences. The simulations will be based on real-world data from Street View.
Our Reading
The launch follows a familiar script.
Google DeepMind is rebranding familiar tech as a “breakthrough”. Project Genie, which promises to simulate the world, sounds like a reboot of Google Earth. The integration with Street View is just a fancy way of saying “we’re using our old maps”. The “immersive simulations” are just a marketing term for “video games”. The real question is, what’s new here?
Author: Evan Null
Rebranding the Familiar
Google DeepMind’s announcement is just the latest example of rebranding old technology as new and innovative. By combining Street View with Project Genie, they’re creating a product that sounds impressive but is actually just a rehash of existing tech.
The Never-Ending Hype Cycle
This is just another example of the tech industry’s never-ending hype cycle. Companies are always looking for ways to make their products sound new and exciting, even if they’re just rehashing old ideas. It’s a tired script that we’ve seen played out time and time again.
What’s Really New Here?
The real question is, what’s actually new about this product? Is it the fact that they’re using Street View data? That’s not new. Is it the fact that they’re creating simulations? That’s not new either. So what is it? The fact that they’re using buzzwords like “immersive” and “interactive”?
Marketing Speak
The language used in the announcement is straight out of the marketing playbook. “Immersive simulations”, “interactive world simulations”, “realistic experiences”. It’s all just marketing speak designed to make the product sound more exciting than it actually is.
The Usual Suspects
This product has all the hallmarks of a classic tech launch. The promise of revolutionary new technology, the hype cycle, the rebranding of old ideas as new. It’s a familiar script that we’ve seen played out time and time again.
