Google launches cloud-based AI offerings

The company made a slew of announcements at the conference Wednesday. Diane Greene, Google's head of cloud computing, argued that Google's cloud platform can offer more flexible tools and options than its primary competitors, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. Through advanced tools and machine learning capabilities, Google is trying to attract the attention of developers who might not normally have access to such powerful technology. As Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google's parent company Alphabet Inc. said during the keynote, machine learning is "what's next," TechCrunch reported. This is not the first time that Schmidt has boasted of the potential for artificial intelligence.