It’s been hard for months, but with new tools and smart AI tools Google I/OThe company has shown that it has its magic back.
The search giant is on the defensive, even though it could get a lot of credit for developing the technology that powers AI. It was OpenAI’s ChatGPT and business partner Microsoft’s chatbot cousin Bing that revealed that AI was becoming useful and innovative enough to threaten white-collar jobs.
The low point came with a leaked memo purportedly from an employee who concluded Google couldn’t win the AI arms race. Worried that Google AI has no moat A term in Silicon Valley that refers to a feature such as patents or expertise that protects a company from its competitors.
But, Google wasn’t content with watching AI startups poach their researchers.
Instead, at Google I/O we saw the company’s product teams sink their teeth into AI. The executives mentioned AI 143 times during the two-hour I/O keynote as they got example after example of how Google uses AI in dozens of products like Search, Gmail, Google Photos, Google Docs, and Google Cloud.
Artificial intelligence, despite the short-term and long-term concerns, provides real benefit. Through a marriage of computer scientists, data centers, and products, Google has proven that it can provide this benefit to many aspects of our lives.
At the same time, Google’s Pixel line of hardware products shows new promise. Here’s a look at what’s going on.
Google is working on generative AI skills, such as letting Google Sheets build a spreadsheet from the command “list of customers and pets for a business that walks dogs for a fee.”
Big AI news from Google
Among the big AI announcements at Google I/O:
- Google has developed its new AI model called PaLM 2, and it is the Large Language Model (LLM) that is the basis of many of its AI products. Unlike its predecessor, it can run in small, lightweight incarnations small enough to fit on a phone, plus the higher-end version needs a data center packed with Google’s expensive AI Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) chips. PaLM 2 has been trained to understand more than 100 languages, handle images and text, operate more efficiently, and can be tuned for specific areas of expertise such as medicine and computer security.
- The Google Bard chatbot is now open to the public for use in English in many parts of the world, with no more waiting lists. It is now more capable than it was at the private launch in March, powered by PaLM 2.
- Google is building a general artificial intelligence into search, repackaging articles with paragraphs of text designed to get searchers to the information they want faster. It will also include shopping links and ads, which can help defray the significant expenses of running generative AI.
- Google is training a successor to PaLM 2 called twins Sundar Pichai, the chief executive, said he should now be more adept at multimedia prompts and responses and that he should hone his neurological skills in areas such as memory and planning.
- Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet are all getting generative AI, like the ability to create job descriptions or create a spreadsheet to help companies keep track of their customers.
- The new Google Magic Photo Editor, which can reposition subjects, change perspective, make the sky blue, and create new elements in a scene.
- Google is offering companies access to new AI tools online that can be integrated into their own services, such as a text prompt to convert images, speech recognition, or programming assistance.
The worry that Google doesn’t have an AI moat — in other words, that other companies can replicate its AI strength — rests on the idea that all Google has to offer is raw AI processing power. It actually integrates AI into a wide range of existing tools, and that’s where the value comes in to convince customers to pay.
New Google devices
Google is suffering badly from scrapping projects like Google Reader for reading RSS subscriptions, Google Inbox for handling email, and Google Stadia for streaming video games.
But it’s stuck with the Pixel phone line for seven years and doesn’t seem likely to go away anytime soon.
Remember phablets? Google’s Pixel Fold has a 7.6-inch interior when unfolded.
At Google I/O, it showed off three exciting new Pixel products: the $499 Pixel 7A, a budget smartphone; the $1,799 Pixel Fold, a foldable smartphone with both indoor and outdoor displays; and the Pixel Tablet, a tablet that connects to a smart speaker charging station for convenient use in kitchens.
Neither product seems likely to sell in the sizes of mainstream consumer hits like the Samsung Galaxy phones, Amazon Echoes, or Apple AirPods. The company simply doesn’t have the toolset, retail muscle, carrier ties, or other components needed to hit the big leagues.
But they all show that Google can design and build smart products with real utility and differentiation. The Pixel 7A, with a better camera, wireless charging, and waterproofing that its predecessor lacked, is “the best value for Pixel fans right now,” my colleague Lisa Eadicicco concludes. The Pixel Fold is superior to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in some ways, for example a larger external display for use when folded. The Pixel Tablet’s smart speaker utility sets it apart from the lackluster Android tablet market.
Rick Osterloh, head of Google devices, bragged at Google I/O: “In the premium smartphone category, Google is the fastest growing [manufacturer] in our markets. That’s a lot of liquidation, and rapid growth is easier for smaller players than established powerhouses. But growth is good in a market tough enough to chase former powerhouses like LG.
When it comes to phones, Google is an underdog. When it comes to AI, Google had to learn from OpenAI and Microsoft that its success is not guaranteed. At Google I/O, we saw the benefits of Google letting go of its complacency.
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