Some Google Drive users have reported significant volumes of files missing from their cloud storage locker.
The first affected user flagged the missing files to Google via its support forums, highlighting that the last six months of their files had abruptly vanished. As well as the absent files, the folder structure had reset to its May 2023 version.
The concerned user wrote on the support forum:
The Drive literally went back to (its) condition in May 2023.”
The user wasn’t alone, as over 300 others (and counting) have clicked the “I have the same question” button, signalling their own concern. While not every user has their folder reverting to as far back as six months, they are still citing their folder reverting to several months ago.
Google has responded by saying that, while they don’t have a concrete time or date for a fix yet, they are working on the issue. Users are being told not to make changes to the root/data folder by Google as they work on this potential fix if they have been affected by the bug, as it might complicate it further.
What Has Google Been Up To Recently?
Google has been earnestly trying to keep up the pace in the AI race this year.
This year, it has released its chatbot Google Bard, its answer to ChatGPT, and Duet for Google Workspace, its generative AI productivity tool for Workspace customers.
Gemini, Google’s flagship large language model (LLM), was set to be released this calendar year before Google delayed it until the first quarter of 2024. Google has previously claimed that Gemini has five times greater computational power than OpenAI’s GPT-4 LLM. Google is explicitly presenting Gemini as a direct competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4.
Gemini can work chatbots, summarise text or create original text based on what users like to read, including email drafts or news stories. It also aims to help software developers write code.
The Information reported that a factor in the delay was the uncertainty of whether Gemini could equal or surpass OpenAI’s most advanced LLM in GPT-4, as previously billed.
Despite Google’s significant investments in — and promises around — AI, Google Cloud had fallen behind its revenue estimate, according to Alphabet’s Q3 2023 financial results.
Google Cloud’s revenue was $8.41 billion, up 22 percent, but analysts had predicted it would scoop $8.64 billion. Direct competitors like Microsoft and Amazon performed significantly better, implying the industry was not to blame. For example, Azure’s revenue rose 29 percent, almost three percent higher than its estimate.
