Google I/O 2023, a two-hour event, showcased the tech giant’s upcoming products and services, focusing on artificial intelligence and new Pixel hardware. The event featured numerous announcements, including the expansion of Google’s AI chatbot, Bard, and the launch of new hardware products like the Pixel Fold and Pixel 7a. Google aims to demonstrate its ability to integrate AI technology with its existing offerings, providing an unparalleled user experience.
During the Google I/O keynote, the search and internet advertising provider revealed a series of rapid-fire announcements, showcasing numerous projects the company has been working on. Some key highlights from the Google I/O 2023 keynote include:
Google Bard Expansion
Google is making its AI chatbot, Bard, available in 180 countries, allowing millions of consumers to try it for the first time.
Bard is based on Google’s language model, called LaMDA.
Bard will be available in English, Japanese, and Korean languages.
Google enhanced Bard’s math, logic, and reasoning skills and its coding capabilities, allowing it to write and debug code in more than 20 different programming languages.
Bard will be “multimodal,” meaning it will show images directly from Google Images in responses and use Google Lens for visual queries.
Google plans to integrate its core apps and services, including Maps, Sheets, Gmail, and Docs, more directly into Bard.
PaLM 2
Google unveiled PaLM 2, a new large-language model that can perform various topics, including coding, reasoning, multilingual translation, and natural language generation.
Google unveiled PaLM 2, a large-language model trained on over 100 spoken word languages.
It powers over 25 Google products behind the scenes.
Google’s medical LLM called “Med-PaLM 2” can answer medical exam questions at an “expert doctor level” and is accurate 85% of the time.
Workspace AI enhancements
Google has been adding AI-based features to its Workspace apps and products for years, including smart compose, smart replies, and generating summaries on Docs.
Google added AI capabilities in Gmail and Docs through the “Help me write” feature, allowing users to draft job summaries, reply to emails more professionally, and rewrite the text.
At I/O, Google announced adding the same AI capabilities in Gmail and Docs on mobile devices.
Google also plans to include automatic table generation in Sheets with a simple prompt, allowing users to create custom tables or trackers, including date and time, to help them accomplish projects.
Google has more than 3 billion users of Workspace.
Search with Converse
Google is supercharging search with generative AI features through a new product called “Converse.”
Converse synthesizes search results from complex queries, with AI at its core.
It is still being determined when users can access it or when it will be rolled out.
However, Google does reveal that it will be available to Labs users over the “coming weeks,” Users can access it by tapping on the Labs icon in the Google app or on the desktop version of Google Chrome.
Google Pixel Fold
Google has launched its first foldable smartphone, the Pixel Fold, priced at $1799.
The device features a book-style foldable design with two screens, similar to the Oppo Find N.
The cover display measures 5.79 inches, while the inner display measures 7.69 inches.
The Pixel Fold boasts the most durable hinge on a foldable and is water-resistant.
It is powered by Google’s Tensor G2 chip, used in the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.
Despite the high-end smartphone market’s growth, Google has no plans to launch the Pixel Fold in India.
Google Pixel 7a
Google aims to target the premium mid-range market with the Pixel 7a in India.
The Pixel 7a is a less-expensive version of the Pixel 7, featuring the same Tensor processor and design.
The device has an upgraded camera setup, with a 64 MP wide and a 13 MP ultrawide lens.
Priced at Rs 43,999, the Pixel 7a competes with the Apple iPhone SE and OnePlus 11R.
Google Pixel Tablet
Google has re-entered the tablet market with the $499 Pixel Tablet.
The device has a wireless dock that functions as a charging station and speaker.
The Pixel Tablet can be a smart display, similar to the Amazon Echo Show.
Google’s “family tablet” concept aims to offer a versatile user experience.
Android 14
The latest version of Google’s mobile operating system, Android 14, introduces new lock screen customization options and AI-generated wallpapers.
Users can customize their lock screens, create wallpapers using emojis, and make 3D wallpapers from photos.
Generative AI makes these features possible and will be available for Pixel phones next month.
Generative wallpapers with customizable themes and prompts are set to arrive in the fall.
Google Maps: New Immersive View
Google Maps is introducing a new immersive view feature
Users can now see a 3D flyover of their plotted route
The feature provides a bird’s-eye view of the journey
Traffic, weather, and air quality data can be added to the route
Google Find My Device
Similar to Apple’s Find My iPhone, Google is working on a device location monitoring function.
The feature will use Android devices to find phones, tablets, and earphones.
Support for outside trackers like Tile and Chipolo will be offered.
A function to prevent stalking will be implemented.
A release date has yet to be specified.
WearOS 4
The developer preview for WearOS 4 has been announced.
New features include better battery life, new watch face tools, improved accessibility features, and a faster, more reliable text-to-speech engine
AI in Google Services
New AI models are being added to Vertex AI, including a text-to-image model called Imagen.
Android Studio will receive an AI infusion with Hedgehog, an everyday developer experience.
Generative AI features are coming to Android 14, starting with Magic Compose.
Google’s text-to-image feature will allow users to generate AI wallpapers and convert photos into 3D
Project Tailwind
Google has launched Project Tailwind, a futuristic notebook powered by generative AI
The project aims to automatically organize, summarize, and help users research topics based on their rough notes
Project Tailwind is currently on the waitlist at g.co/Labs
Google and Nvidia A3 Supercomputers
Google and Nvidia have partnered to build A3 supercomputers for training machine learning and AI models.
The supercomputers offer a range of GPU options for training and inference
A3 supercomputers deliver 26 exaFlops of AI performance
Adobe’s Firefly and Google Bard AI Platform
Google and Adobe have partnered to integrate Firefly, a suite of AI-powered image tools, and Adobe Express into Google Bard.
Bard will soon generate Firefly images based on descriptive text prompts
The platform will provide users with visual responses instead of textual ones, similar to Bing Image Creator or Dall-E.
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Conclusion
Google has been actively expanding its AI capabilities and integrating them into various products and services. Key developments include the expansion of Google’s AI chatbot Bard to 180 countries and unveiling of the large-language model PaLM 2. Google has also enhanced its Workspace apps with AI features and launched new hardware products such as the Pixel Fold, Pixel 7a, and Pixel Tablet. Furthermore, the company is introducing generative AI features in Android 14 and Google Maps, developing a device location tracking feature, and collaborating with Nvidia on A3 supercomputers. These advancements demonstrate Google’s commitment to harnessing the power of AI to improve user experiences and offer innovative solutions across its ecosystem.
