I/O Just can’t get enough
Every year google takes to the stage at their I/O developer conference to share the latest in new technologies they have been working on both software and hardware. In previous years Google have discussed some of the powerful AI features they have worked on such as smart compose for Gmail and the infamous Voice assistant that would call to book appointments for you (What ever happened to that by the way? After the event we never really saw or heard about it again) but these features have very much had a back seat at the event. But not this year! The main theme of this event was AI, from being built into your everyday workflow to how they are handling the AI revolution safely and responsibly, and of course we saw the new range of pixel devices including the worlds worst kept secret the Pixel Fold.
I know not everyone has the time to watch a 2-hour presentation so I compiled this hand-dandy list of all the announcements.
Google Maps
Maps unveiled a new âImmersive View for Routesâ feature in select cities. The premise is simple, you plan your route as normal choosing your start and end points. but soon their will be a button that will allow you to view your route in a fully immersive 3D flythrough view. The new feature is designed to help you plan ahead and get a deeper understanding of your route before you embark on it. It uses computer vision, AI and googles massive Street view and mapping database to fuse together a fully realised 3D flythrough of your city and route.
For the most part, this feature feels super useful, it can give you a much better idea of your route and potential obstacles as well as bike lanes but it certainly isn’t without its gimmicks, it can sync up with the expected weather and show a rather cheesy weather effect as it flys you through your route. this looks like something straight out of an early naughties VFX showreel but I can totally see its uses.
Magic Editor
If you use google photos you most likely already know about its powerful image processing tools such as smart eraser and touchup. well with the power of AI (do you see the running theme here?) this just got a LOT more powerful.
Lets say you take a photo of someone but they are framed just off-centre, well that’s not an issue anymore, You can simply not highlight the subject and move them in the frame using generative AI to fill in the gaps. seeing this in action is pretty wild and feels a little dystopian if you ask me and it only gets weirder with the sky replacement tool, for the always Instagram-perfect skies, all these new tools make image processing so much more powerful on selected pixel devices but it brings up a core worry many have with AI, how do we know what is real anymore? well, google has you covered there too.
Bard is actually becoming useful?
If you have used googles answer to ChatGPT recently you will know it’s not very smart and surprisingly for a data giant not very knowledgable or useful. However the Google developers announced at this event are set to change all of that and it could even get me to swap away from ChatGPT all together.
For starters, more people than ever can use Bard as Google makes it available, in English, in over 180 countries and territories, but itâs also launching support for Japanese and Korean with a goal of supporting 40 languages in the near future. More important though is Bardâs ability to respond with images both real and generated through its integration with Firefly (Adobes generative image AI). This partnership is the first of many where bard can use Plugins to enhance exactly how it’s used and what it can do, Other enhancements include the ability for bard to understand and generate images, this is something distinctly missing from the ChatGPT experience and I think is going to be a large reason many people move from OpenAI to google’s Bard system
Search smarter, not harder
Search is at the forefront of what google does and always has been so of course we couldn’t get away without it getting the AI treatment but honestly I think this is one of the most impressive uses of AI that I saw at the event and I strongly belive it is going to change how people search moving forwards.
Starting today in the Search Labs people in the US can start to use the new and improved search, what exactly does this mean? basically, you will be able to do more in Google directly, instead of asking ‘Show me dog parks nearby’ and then having to use the maps tool, website and user reviews to decide if this dog park is also suitable for children you can more directly ask the question ‘Where is the best dog park near me that is also suitable for children?’ google can then use its almost limitless dataset and powerful AI to take this conversational question and give you the answer you need quickly and easily with fewer searches.
I cant wait to try this feature out especially when paired with google shopping to help users make better and more informed buying decisions by asking simple questions such as ‘What is the best Electric bike for under ÂŁ700’ this new way of searching may take some getting used to for some but its potential for revolutionising search is extraordinary.
They are bringing Clippy back! (Yeah!)
I know I know, ‘clippy is Microsoft property’ but the premise still stands here, googles new AI toolset for workspaces affectionately named ‘Sidekick’ allows you to call on the power of AI no matter the application to get you a head start on your tasks.
Before now Gmail could suggest a few new words as an almost ‘auto complete’ feature but now, it can write the whole email for you! this also carries over to docs where with just a short prompt it can start to write a whole document or email for you. We have almost seen this before with ChatGPT, I cant count the number of times I have used AI to write my email and copy and paste the response in, but having the ability to do it directly in the applications is certainly a welcome tool. As well as this though is the Slides and Sheets integrations where once again from a simple prompt google is able to give you exact templates of a document you need.
Slides has the ability to use generative AI art to create fun and unique imagery from your prompts or even your slides themselves making for a fun and quirky edge to your meetings or embarrassing family slideshows.
The example they gave was using Sheets to create a Simple spreadsheet about a dog walking company doing all the layout and hard work for you, this is most definitely a powerful tool and will make the more mundane work tasks that little bit easier but don’t be scared that AI will be stealing your office jobs, these tools are here to aid and get you started and they are certainly not perfect and will never be able to do what humans can.
Google are playing the good guy?
For all this exciting discussion around new AI tools rather surprisingly Google, one of the biggest data farmers of the 21st century did something rather unexpected in my eyes. talked about safety and responsibility with AI. An awesome example of this was the image generation and manipulation tools Google showed off, how do we know they are made or edited by AI? Well, all images these tools touch will leave a digital fingerprint in both the binary code and the metadata of the file so it’s clear to anyone who looks into it that yes this is an AI-generated or adapted image.
As unexpected as this was from Google it was certainly a much-needed discussion because we cant just let AI development run rampant without having clear rules and safeguards in place for how we use and acknowledge AI tools. I hope to see more companies in the near future like Snapchat and OpenAI doing similar for the sake of everyone.
The future of android
It wouldn’t be a Google event without android news and it wouldn’t be 2023 without some AI news thankfully google covered both topics here.
Find my device is basically ‘Find My’ but for Android and will work with third parties like Title, in a rather unconventional move as well they partnered with Apple of all people to publish new rules around how un-identified tags and trackers will be displayed to the end user. Lets hope more devices and accessories adopt this feature soon and have it fully work across platforms, for example, iPhones finding Androids and visa versa.
You can of course make your Android distinctly yours through Material Me and let’s say it all together now ‘Generative AI!’ Google will roll out the feature this fall that will enable Android users to answer suggested prompts to describe your vision this is very much Midjourney style but certainly feels more limited. The feature will use Googleâs text-to-image diffusion models to generate new and original wallpapers, and the colour palette of your Android system will automatically match the wallpaper youâve selected.
Pixel Hardware
I/O has always been the place for the ‘a’ series announcements and this year was no different, it goes on sale May 11 at $100 less than the Pixel 7 ($499). Like the ‘a’ series before it, it has a 6.1-inch screen. When it comes to the camera, it has a slightly higher pixel density and a whole new camera array, the chipset powering the Pixel 7 also powers this phone for all the same power and features you love with a few cut corners to get that nice price point.
And finally the 2 worst kept tech secrets the Pixel tablet and Fold were announced too. The Tablet has a powerful speaker dock INCLUDED in the box for $499 and is reminiscent of a Nest Home Hubâ with all the benefits of it being detachable and portable too. along with the hardware, google showed off how the tablet Android experience has become a lot more fleshed out with almost all 50 google first party apps and many third party ones being redesigned from the ground up to fit perfectly on the larger form factor.
Many of these software changes also benefit the fold of course but as Google announced the price you could hear the murmurs and discomfort in the audience as it comes in at $1800, that’s Galaxy fold price territory and at least that thing doesn’t have bezels from 10 years ago. What makes the fold great though is its software. The app continuity when switching between the external and internal screens appears seamless, allowing you to pick up where you left off as you change screen sizes. Naturally, Google has optimized its most popular third-party apps for the big-screen experience, including Gmail and YouTube. but it remains to be seen at that price if this is destined for the google graveyard along with its other failed hardware like the Glass.
Conclusion
This has just been a small selection of what Google announced this year at IO, other things included holographic 3D meeting technology which would require an article all of its own. its a little scary to see just how much innovation the AI space has had in under a year, I can’t wait to see what the future hold for Google, AI and us as humans.
