Neville Lahiru
It’s the season of AI and Google really wants you to know how serious the company is about the space. Google wasted no time running through its slew of AI-enabled products and services at Google IO 2023. Of course, it wasn’t all AI as the tech giant also had a few interesting additions to the Pixel lineup. So here are the highlights from this year’s Google keynote.
That’s a lot of AI chief
The first big announcement for Google was the launch of PaLM 2, the latest version of the company’s own Large Language Model (LLM). Detailing its capabilities, Google claims that it offers better multilingual reasoning and that it has “improved its ability to understand, generate and translate nuanced text.” Further, the latest version of the LLM comes with an improved understanding of programming, logic, and mathematics among other things.
Google Bard
As of now, PaLM 2 powers 25 Google products and features including Bard. Speaking of Bard, the tech giant recently unveiled Google Bard, its AI chatbot competitor to ChatGPT. It was first launched in the US and its waitlist later expanded to other countries including Sri Lanka. At Google IO 2023, the company announced that it’s removing the waitlist and opening up access to over 180 countries. Additionally, Google states it hopes to offer the service in 40 languages soon.
Detailing Bard’s capabilities, Google took to highlight its capabilities when it comes to coding. The company claims Bard has learned over 20 programming languages. This means Bard can essentially help with coding and debugging more effectively.
Google is making sharing easier. You can now export your code directly to Replit from the textbox. Additionally, you can export your normal Bard prompts to Gmail and Google Docs as well.
Bard will also get more visual and it will link up with Google’s other products, which means you’re going to see image content with search results. For instance, if you put in a location-based query, Bard could respond with a Google Maps-based answer.
Google Search
Unsurprisingly, Google is bringing generative AI to its Search. There’s now a textbox that will serve as a helpful addon for your search queries. Additionally, Search will get conversational with the new generative AI integration. So you could always ask a follow-up question and/or shop directly on Search. The feature is currently at an experimental stage, though Google’s teaser indicates that the tech giant has ambitious plans to integrate generative AI into its search.
Duet AI for Workspace
Back in March, Google announced that it’s bringing generative AI features to Workspace apps including Google Docs, Sheets, Gmail, and Slides. At Google IO 2023, Google showed off what to expect with Duet AI for Workspace with all these products. One of the more interesting AI integrations comes from Gmail. Everyone’s default email service has been utilizing AI for a few years. Gmail’s “Help me write” feature takes its current smart compose element a bit further where Google will use generative AI to craft entire response emails for you.
Other AI announcements include an all-new immersive mode for Google Maps and an AI-enabled editing tool for Google Photos called “Magic Editor” which will roll out later this year. Further, the Android owner announced that Google will be watermarking AI-generated content moving forward by incorporating watermarks and metadata into its AI models. This means the AI-generated content would retain its watermark even when it’s edited.
Customization and Messages
Last month, Google released the first beta for Android 14 which primarily focused on UI and graphics updates, personalization, and privacy features. The company has since followed this up by adding features such as passkey support and improved battery life.
At Google IO 2023, the tech giant showcased a number of new customization options with Material You. The additions will let you customize your lockscreen and wallpaper with different text patterns and an expressive emoji wallpaper. The cinematic wallpaper, on the other hand, will turn your regular photos into a 3D image for your wallpaper. This feature is expected to make its way to Pixel devices starting next month.
It’s not just your lockscreen and wallpaper, Google is also bringing some interesting tweaks to Messages. Thanks to generative AI, you can now get better message responses crafted for you automatically.
RCS got a special mention too, because Google can’t stop talking about it. The company says there are currently over 800 million RCS users and is on track to cross a billion at the end of the year. As expected, it took the opportunity to throw shade at Apple for not being willing to adopt RCS.
The Pixel 7a
Like Apple, Google’s one of the main attractions at its annual event has been its smartphone lineup. Though over the past few years, it has become somewhat of a tradition to get detailed leaks of its upcoming Pixel phones months before any official unveiling. While Google IO 2023 was largely focused on AI, the company officially unveiled the Pixel 7a following months of anticipation.
Pixel 7a specs
- 6.1-inch display
- 4300 mAh battery
- Tensor G2 processor
- Titan M2 security chip
- 8GB RAM
- 64MP main camera
- 13MP ultrawide camera
- 13MP front camera
- Up to 90Hz refresh rate
- Wireless charging
- Priced at $499
Pixel Fold
Google was rumored to have been working on a foldable phone for some time now. But the company surprised many fans when it officially teased the device on Star Wars Day and then later offered a better look via an unlisted video. The Pixel Fold utilizes the same design aesthetics as its flagship phone and folds horizontally like a book. The phone houses a screen on part of the outer casing so that you could use it even when closed, similar to the Galaxy Z Fold.
The Pixel Fold specs
- 7.6-inch unfolded display, 2208 x 1840 OLED at 380 PPI
- 5.8-inch closed display, 2092 x 1080 OLED at 408 PPI
- Tensor G2 processor
- Titan M2 security coprocessor
- 4727mAh battery
- 48MP rear camera
- 9.5MP front camera
- 8MP inner camera
- 12GB RAM
- Upto 512 GB storage
- Priced at $1,799
Pixel Tablet
The Pixel Tablet was another highly-anticipated device from the Pixel lineup. Google teased that it will launch the Pixel Tablet this year back during Google IO 2022. The tech giant finally released the device and offered details at this year’s event.
Pixel Tablet specs
- 2560 x 1600 resolution LCD display
- 500 nits of brightness
- Tensor G2 chip
- Titan M2 security coprocessor
- 8GB RAM
- Up to 256GB storage
- Built-in 27-watt-hour battery
- 8MP camera (front and back)
- Chromecast built-in
- Priced at $499 (charging speaker dock included)
Honorable mentions
Unfortunately, there were no Pixel 8 announcements at Google IO 2023, even though leaks of specs and renders have already been out for a while. There were also rumors of a possible Pixel Watch 2 announcement, which didn’t turn out to be the case either. Interestingly, Google is already pushing for Wear OS 4 that’s supposed to add better battery life, despite Wear OS 3 still hasn’t finished rolling out to everybody. So chances are, the company may be saving up some of its other hardware reveals for sometime later this year.
In any case, it will be interesting to see how the coming few months pan out for Google as big tech shifts full gear into winning the AI race. If Google’s AI showcase is anything to go by, it’s that the space will only get more competitive.
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