Google's Halloween win

Trick-or-treating has medieval roots in “souling”. In medieval England, kids would go door-to-door on All Souls Day, offering prayers for the dead in exchange for food. So yeah, Halloween wasn’t ALWAYS about candy — just centuries-old snacks for blessing.

Anyway, 🎃 Happy Halloween guys! 👻 Don’t go stealing candy from kids, apparently, it’s “not nice.”

What’s in store:

• When in doubt, throw AI at it, that’s what Google did.

• There’s a “Shazam” for that outfit you accidentally saw on social media, and it’s awesome.

• Around the web: Dropbox to lay off 20% of staff in restructuring push for efficiency and AI investment.

• Placeholder text for sponsor shortcut

Read Time: 6 minutes

GOOGLE

AI takes the code wheel at Google

Google’s latest AI advancements are transforming its business approach and earnings - and there’s nothing to be spooked about, investors.

Over a quarter of Google’s new code is now generated by AI, which engineers then review, highlighting AI’s major role within the company, a change that has taken place in a very short space of time.

CEO Sundar Pichai shared these updates during Googele’s Q3 2024 earnings call, along with strong financial results.

Alphabet’s total revenue for the quarter was $88.3 billion.

Of this, Google Services, including Search, made up $76.5 billion, an increase of 13% from last year. Who said AI would kill search?

Google Cloud, which offers AI tools for other businesses, grew 35%, reaching $11.4 billion.

Operating income is also up. Google Services brought in $30.9 billion, rising from $23.9 billion the previous year.

Google Cloud reached $1.95 billion, a big jump from last year’s $270 million.

In brief:

• AI largely drives Alphabet’s revenue growth with each main product seeing gains.

• New AI features boost Google’s products across Search, Cloud and YouTube.

• Legal challenges about monopoly concerns could reshape Google’s structure.

Profits in Pixels

While some question Google’s reliability, its business remains solid.

The Company’s AI releases include custom Gemini-powered chatbots “Gems”, AI-driven note-taking in Google Meet and new tools for YouTube creators.

The AI feature in the Pixel 9 smartphones has also been well-received.

Pinchai noted that these new AI tools are expanding what people can search for and discover Google Cloud’s AI products are attracting new clients and deepening use among current customers.

YouTube saw record-breaking ad and subscription revenue, surpassing $50 billion over the last four quarters.

Google’s numbers sure be making all of us feel that imposter syndrome…

Vote for live results and see results + opinions from yesterday at the bottom of the email.

AI TOOLS TO TRY

Save Time with AI Summaries & Elevated Research

We consume vast amounts of information, but how much truly sticks? Recall cuts through the noise by summarising, connecting, and resurfacing content. Spend less time sifting through data and more time applying what matters.

With the web & mobile app, create your AI encyclopedia by blending notes and summaries from YouTube, articles, PDFs, and more into a self-organising knowledge graph.

Key features:

• Summarise online content

• Automatic categorisation

• Spaced repetition flashcards

Mindstream readers get 25% off with code: MINDSTREAM25 

On This Day

October 31st 1992 - The Roman Catholic Church formally rehabilitates Galileo Galilei, 359 years after having condemned him for his heliocentric views.

GPT of the Week

Halloween Costumes

Halloween Costumes is the go-to-expert for all things related to Halloween attire, dedicated to sparking the imagination with unique and thrilling costume ideas. Specialising in everything from classic horror to pop culture-inspired getups, Halloween Costumes guides crafting and styling outfit with a dash of festival flair.

Check it out! →

AI STARTUPS

Link, click and buy

Aesthetic, a new fashion startup, wants to be the “Shazam for clothes”, using AI to help people find and buy clothing seen on social media.

Their fashion concierge, Alma, makes it easy to shop for items people like online.

Users send a link with a fashion post they like through Aesthetic’s TikTok or Instagram account.

Alma then responds with a link to the Aesthetic website, where users can shop the look or save it to a collection board called Lookbook.

The idea is to make it simple to shop directly from social media.

CEO LJ Northington, seeing the lack of innovation in e-commerce, aims to make Aesthetics more than just a shopping tool.

He’s already in talks with brands and music labels to let creators and artists build their own Aesthetic pages for fans-think themed looks inspired by artists like Beyoncé or Charli XCX.

Here’s what you should know:

• Aesthetic’s AI concierge, Alma, lets users find and buy clothing from social media posts.

• CEO Northington is working with artists and brands to create fan-friendly style pages.

• Google Cloud AI funding supports Aesthetic’s growth while keeping costs manageable.

From feed to fit

Though Aesthetic hasn’t shared its full funding, it’s backed by Slow Capital and Zeal Capital Partners and advised by leaders from Guess and Informa Markets Fashion.

Google Cloud AI is also supporting its AI/ML platform, allowing Aesthetic to grow without heavy costs.

Nothington’s journey from aspiring NFL player to business founder brings a unique perspective.

His background in psychology helps him understand what customers want, which is key in building tech that people enjoy using.

Social media scrolling just got a little more expensive, not mad about it though.

Mindstream Picks

Space: Solstar Space aims to test its narrowband satellite data-relay transceiver in space next year, marking over a decade of development on the Deke Space Communicator.

Crypto: YouTube star MrBeast, aka James Donaldson, faces allegations of crypto misconduct, threatening his reputation as a philanthropic influencer.

Games: EA’s mobile net bookings dropped 3% year-over-year to $270 million in Q2 FY2025, with a 4% decline to $1.16 billion over the past 12 months ending September 30, 2024.

Sports: Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert denies “bias” after Max Verstappen received penalties in Mexico, despite claims of favouritism from Verstappen’s father, Joss.

Don’t Miss: Dropbox is cutting 20% of its staff, affecting 528 employees, to streamline operations amid challenges. CEO Drew Houston cited over-investment and shifting priorities towards AI. Severance and benefits will cost $63 - $68 million, with additional expenses through early 2025.

AI Art

Our Image of the Day

Daily Image Prompt

Submit your artwork to Mindstream →

Yesterday’s Poll

“Can AI transform entertainment?”

Yep, can't wait for new experiences. 57% ✅

I'm not so sure. 43%

Your Views:

“Hollywood keeps pumping out crud laden with lazy CGI and even lazier writing/acting/production. Let's see what Indies can do with AI. The Max Joe Steel show is a good start.” - slyte

“If entertainment needs a transformation it's in storytelling. AI as a tool in storytelling is a pipe dream. The ingredients for good stories are gut feeling, sweat, tears and laughter. All unique to humans.” - mikewes

Submit your opinions in our daily poll to be featured!