It’s the 15th anniversary of Google I/O, and as has come to be expected from Silicon Valley launch events, the company didn’t disappoint when it came to putting on a show.
Today however, while three new devices made their debuts, they were mere supporting acts. This I/O was all about artificial intelligence.
Yes, everyone’s talking about it, pretty much all the time, but as expected, Google is laser-focused on the technology – and had some major updates to share from its Mountain View HQ.
‘We’re seven years into our journey as an AI-focused business,’ said Google CEO Sundar Pichai. ‘The shift with AI is as big as they come, and that’s why it’s so important we make it work for everyone.
‘We’re taking a bold and responsible approach in reimagining all our key products.’
‘Responsible’ was a buzzword throughout the two-hour presentation, unsurprising given recent safety concerns over the technology.
But the updates came thick and fast, ranging from tools for everyday users to businesses and developers.
What were the biggest AI developments?
In 2017, Google unveiled Smart Reply – you know, the short snappy options presented in response to an email like ‘Great, thanks!’ or ‘No thank you’. Then came smart compose, predicting the rest of the word or phrase users were typing.
Coming soon, Gmail users will have Help Me Write, which will compose full replies to emails based on the original message and a short prompt.
Google Maps will be getting its own AI makeover courtesy of Immersive View, offering a bird’s eye view of routes planned in the app, so users can get a preview of the entire journey before making it themselves – and can also check air quality, traffic and weather.
Immersive View will be available in 15 cities including London, New York and Tokyo later this year.
Google Photos, one of the company’s first native AI products, has long been a flagbearer for its everyday AI capabilities courtesy of Magic Eraser. Today Google unveiled Magic Editor, which in addition to removing unwanted objects in images, can now move features around within photos – for example to reposition a person to the centre – and also fill in the remaining parts of objects cut off by the frame.
Underpinning the company’s AI development is its new foundation model, Pathways Language Model (PaLM 2), which from today will power Google’s Large Language Model chatbot Bard.
Updates to the chatbot include Dark Theme – which received cheers from the Mountain View crowd – and the ability to export responses directly to Gmail and Docs.
In addition, Bard is about to go multimodal, allowing image prompts and providing visual responses.
Later in the year Bard will be paired with Google Lens for search, and also incorporate the power of Adobe Firefly for generating images.
And as of today, the waiting list for Bard has been removed, and the technology expanded to 180 countries and territories.
Bard’s capabilities are not just being spread across the world however, but also across Google Workspace, with a sidebar – or sidekick – to offer AI support on Docs, Sheets and Slides later this year.
For businesses, Google announced a range of access foundation models including Enterprise, for search, Imagen for image generation and Codey for code generation.
And in terms of safety, the company said it is developing tools to help users evaluate online information, including a search tool to show when and where similar images first appeared – such as on news or fact checking sites.
Demonstrating its Universal Translator, which not only translates language but alters the speakers lip movement to match, Google said it would only make the technology available to authorised partners, in a bid to prevent malicious deepfakes.
Artificial intelligence is also making its way into Android, with generative AI coming to Messages to tweak the sound of your message, such as mood – or, potential, in the style of Shakespeare.
A number of other Android personalisation options were unveiled, including a fun emoji-based wallpaper, but potentially the most important update is the Unknown Tracker Alert, as unveiled last week in partnership with Apple.
For Pixel Watch users, Wear OS will get a native version of WhatsApp this summer.
The Pixel 7a
A year after the Pixel 6a was unveiled, Google I/O 2023 gave users the Pixel 7a, a budget version of its powerful Pixel 7. Available for £449, it is slightly smaller than its pricier sibling, but is still built with the same Tensor G2 chip and Titan M2 security chip.
Style-wise it offers the same Pixel camera bar and comes in four colours – charcoal, snow, sea and coral. The aluminium casing is made with 100% recycled materials, and Google reports the 7a is its most durable A-series to date.
The 7a also offers a number of premium features available in the series for the first time, including 8GB of RAM, an up to 90Hz Smooth Display and wireless charging.
As this year’s I/O made clear, Google is going big on artificial intelligence, and AI features available on the 7a include Call Screen, which enables you to ask who’s calling and why before picking up, Hold For Me, which waits on the line if you’re in a call centre queue, and Wait Times, which estimates how long you’ll have to wait in that queue.
First impressions
I’m far from a photographer, but I tested out the Pixel 7a camera on the night of a full moon and was really impressed with the pictures in terms of quality and clarity. Obviously then I used Magic Eraser to rub out the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf in the background because I’m obsessed with that function.
It’s good to hear the 7a is extra tough too as I’m pretty clumsy, although I haven’t dropped it yet – even for testing purposes.
And a big thumbs up on the extensive battery life, which is always welcome.
Katherine Fidler, Metro.co.uk science and technology editor
The 13-megapixel camera features an ultra-wide lens and a 72% larger sensor than the 6a, plus long exposure and up to 8x Super Res Zoom. The 13-megapixel front camera offers 4k video.
Also included are Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur and Real Tone technology.
The Pixel Fold
As predicted, Google used this year’s I/O to launch its first foldable phone, the Pixel Fold.
Operating in much the same way as any other Pixel when closed, including a 5x optical zoom and 20x Super Res Zoom camera, the Fold opens up into a 7.6-inch screen.
Alongside working as a tablet, including split screen functionality, it also offers tabletop mode, handy for watching entertainment or capturing photos and video without a tripod. For group photos, a new palm gesture function triggers the shutter, so no photographer needed.
For stargazers, tent mode enables the camera to be pointed upward with the front display for camera controls.
Wireless charging, Call Screen and Magic Eraser are among the classic Pixel features found on the Fold, but it also offers an exclusive Live Translate interpreter mode, which utilises both the front and internal displays to provide text translation for users speaking different languages on opposite sides of the phone.
Water resistant with an IPX8 rating, the Fold is not drop proof – so at £1,749 you’ll want to be careful. Pixel Fold is available for pre-order, shipping next month. Buyers in the US and UK will also received a free Pixel Watch with their purchase.
The Pixel Tablet
It’s a year since the company first hinted at the Pixel Tablet, and today we finally said ‘hey Google’ to the finished product.
The Pixel Tablet has a 10.9-inch display, 2560×1600 resolution, 8-megapixel front and back cameras, and up to 12 hours of video streaming battery life.
Designed to run a smart home, the tablet functions as a smart screen and sound system when on the magnetic charging speaker dock. The tablet is Google’s first device with built-in Chromecast, allowing easy content sharing and streaming.
The Google Home app, which the company reports is compatible with more than 80 devices, is one of 50 Google apps available on the tablet, including Google TV.
When not on the dock, the tablet itself has four speaker audio and a camera optimised specifically for video calls.
It is also reported to be the best Pixel device for editing photos.
Available in three colours, it is available for pre-order at £599 for the tablet and speaker bundle, with devices delivered next month.
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