How Google Is Infusing Its Most Popular Products With AI Capabilities

Google I/O 2023 started on Wednesday as Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai took to the stage to disclose a number of new adjustments coming to the corporate’s apps and providers. Google’s annual developer convention for 2023 is focussed on synthetic intelligence (AI) know-how and the agency introduced a number of new AI-powered options which might be coming to providers like search, Google Maps, Google Photos, and Gmail. Some of those options shall be rolled out to prospects within the coming weeks, whereas some will solely be accessible later this yr, Google stated, whereas reiterating its “bold and responsible” method to updating its merchandise.

The first product from Google that’s set to get an AI-backed improve is Gmail, the corporate introduced through the Google I/O keynote. The firm says it’s increasing on its Smart Reply and Smart Compose options, which additionally depend on AI, into a brand new device referred to as “Help me write” that can roll out to Google Workspace customers within the coming weeks.

Users can sort in a immediate of an e-mail they need to compose, and the device will use a robust generative mannequin to rapidly pull information from their Google account to generate a personalised e-mail. These drafts can be refined by the consumer, or robotically expanded utilizing an “Elaborate” possibility. These options will begin to roll out as a part of Workspace updates, in line with Google.

Google Photos, first launched at Google I/O in 2015, has acquired a number of AI-powered options through the years that enable customers to seek for particular objects or individuals of their picture library. The firm additionally affords a Magic Eraser device on its Pixel smartphones, permitting customers to take away individuals and objects from photographs utilizing AI — customers on non-Pixel smartphones also can use this device, with a Google One subscription.

Magic Editor for Google Photos
Photo Credit: Google

A brand new Magic Editor device for Google Photos was unveiled on Wednesday, and the corporate claims it may well add lacking particulars in photos the place objects are partially seen, transfer topics in a picture after it has been captured, and keep a constant look throughout the picture whereas enhancing a selected part. Google says Magic Editor for Google Photos will arrive later in 2023.

The firm can also be including extra AI capabilities to Google Maps, with a brand new “Immersive View for routes” characteristic that can provide customers who’re strolling, biking, or driving, a fowl’s eye view of the route, together with particulars of the site visitors, air high quality, climate, and visible indications of how these would possibly change all through the day. Google Maps’ new Immersive View for routes shall be accessible in 15 cities — together with London, New York, Tokyo, and San Francisco — by the tip of the yr.

Google’s search app can also be getting an improve, as is the desktop browser search expertise. The firm has been scrambling to compete with Microsoft’s upgraded Bing, which runs on OpenAI’s GPT-4 know-how. Using Google Bard, the search large will provide customers a conversational AI expertise, that has now been opened to all customers with out a waitlist. The new Google search with generative AI will be enabled by way of a Labs setting and customers can be a part of a waitlist to check all of the options supplied by Bard-powered Google search, equivalent to smarter purchasing and comply with up questions.