Google parent Alphabet Inc. reported strong second-quarter results, fueled by its investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing. The company’s revenue grew 7% year-over-year to $74.6 billion, exceeding Wall Street’s expectations. Alphabet’s AI efforts, including its conversational AI chatbot Bard and other AI-powered products, are seen as a direct challenge to Microsoft’s AI push with ChatGPT. The results highlight the intensifying AI race between the tech giants. Alphabet’s CEO Sundar Pichai emphasized the company’s commitment to “developing AI responsibly” and making it accessible to everyone. The company’s cloud business also saw significant growth, with Google Cloud revenue increasing 28% to $8 billion. However, Alphabet’s advertising revenue, which accounts for the majority of its revenue, grew at a slower pace of 3.3%. The company’s stock rose in after-hours trading as investors cheered the strong performance and AI ambitions.