Google I/O 2023: Google Goes All in With AI

• At Google I/O 2023, the company touched on several key areas in the two-hour-long keynote address, from consumer electronics announcements to AI.
• AI was the top-billed technology at Google I/O 2023. The company upgraded several products with AI alongside the release of an AI-integrated search, a new LLM, and an updated Bard.
• Google also updated its Pixel lineup with two new smartphones, including a foldable one, and marked its re-entry into the tablet space.

Google I/O 2023 wrapped up yesterday, and despite being a shorter-than-usual affair, it certainly didn’t fall short of creating a buzz. From touching several key areas in the two-hour-long keynote address, consumer electronics announcement to AI, Google’s annual developer conference had something for users and developers alike.

Google I/O 2023 saw the launch of multiple additions to the Pixel lineup, a new Android version, several product upgrades, AI integrations, and more. The event was also the online search and advertising behemoth’s chance to make a mark in the race to conquer the consumer-centric AI space.

Here’s Spiceworks’ roundup of all the hits from Google I/O 2023.

Key Announcements From Google I/O 2023

1. Hardware and mobile devices

Google launched the Pixel Fold to gain ground in the foldable smartphone market. Like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 (launched in August 2022), Pixel Fold also opens (and folds) like a book, revealing the 7.6” OLED display in all its glory. It also features a 5.8” external display and is thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

Compared to Pixel Fold’s pricey tag of $1,799, the Pixel 7a can be a good bet in the mid-range smartphone category. Pixel 7a succeeds the popular Pixel 6a and should come as a breath of fresh air with its 90 Hz refresh rate out of the box, something that Google hesitated to do in its midrange smartphones.

Additionally, Google launched the Pixel Tablet, whose standout feature includes the Charging Speaker Dock. This essentially converts the tab into a smart home hub. Pixel tablet comes with USI 2.0 stylus support. The launch of the Pixel Tablet also marks the company’s re-entry into the tablet market.

Pixel Fold, Pixel 7a, and Pixel Table are powered by the new Google Tensor G2 (5 nm) chipset. Let us look at the device specifications consolidated in the table below:

Google Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold, and Pixel Tablet are expected to be available in June 2023.

See More: Can Generative AI Replace Search? Users Certainly Believe So

2. Google’s AI advancements

It isn’t a stretch to say that AI was the top-billed technology at Google’s 15th annual developer conference. Riding on the AI momentum generated by the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google CEO Sundar Pichai even noted how the company is reimagining its core products and positioning itself as an AI-first company.

Things seemed to have settled down at Google since December last year when a “code red” was declared at the company post-ChatGPT’s launch. The impact of AI on Google search, the company’s bread and butter, is two-fold:

• Generative AI tech can potentially disrupt online search as we know it.
• Integrating it with competitors could eat away at Google’s dominance until generative AI becomes mainstream for information search.

Google launched its generative AI chatbot, Bard, in February 2023 and confirmed AI features in search (akin to a ChatGPT-integrated Bing). However, the company was thrown aback after Bard made a mistake related about the discovery of the first planet outside the solar system.

Here’s what Google has come up at Google I/O 2023 with to ensure it stays on top:

i. PaLM 2

PaLM 2 is the next iteration of PaLM (Pathways Language Model), the large language model (LLM) Google released last year that has found its way into multiple use cases. PaLM 2 comes in four models – Gecko, Otter, Bison, and Unicorn – all of which form the basis of advanced AI capabilities across 25 Google products and services, including Workspace (Gmail, Google Docs, etc.) and Bard.

PaLM is multilingual, supporting over 100 languages to generate text (essays, emails, idioms, poems, riddles, and more). Google claims it is more logical, has common sense reasoning, and improved mathematics capabilities. PaLM 2 is also versed in coding in Python, JavaScript, Prolog, Fortran, Verilog, and other programming languages.

See More: IBM Introduces Watsonx To Streamline Enterprise AI Development

ii. AI-integrated search

Google is rolling out Search Generative Experience (SGE), a generative AI-based online search. AI-integrated Google search offers a conversational experience, which Google calls AI snapshot, and unlike Bing AI, SGE is powered by Bard, not yet anyway. However, like Bard, SGE is also based on PaLM 2.

Besides offering a conversational search experience, SGE makes shopping suggestions, gives additional sources, and more.

Google is currently putting out a “Generative AI is experimental” disclaimer on top of the results SGE generates. This is possibly to avoid a similar backlash that the company faced after Bard’s incorrect responses.

With our new generative AI experience in Search, you’ll get even more from a single search. You’ll be able to quickly make sense of information with an AI-powered snapshot, pointers to explore more and natural ways to ask. #GoogleIOOpens a new window pic.twitter.com/jgzz97DzEvOpens a new window

— Google (@Google) May 10, 2023Opens a new window

“There are known limitations with generative AI and LLMs, and Search, even today, will not always get it right. We’re taking a responsible and deliberate approach to bringing new generative AI capabilities to Search,” Google noted.

Users can try out Google’s AI-integrated search in Search Labs. Tap the Labs icon in the latest Google App or the Chrome desktop new tab page to join the waitlist.

iii. An updated Bard

Bard itself is now powered by the PaLM 2 LLM. The AI chatbot no longer has a waitlist, meaning anyone across 180 countries can access the generative AI tool.

With the addition of Japanese and Korean, Bard now supports 40 languages and will provide source citations, given it is trained on data from the internet.

In the future, Google will provide ways to integrate Bard with Docs, Drive, Gmail, and Maps, as well as services from those beyond Google’s partners. For example, Google has connected Bard with Adobe Firefly to let creativity flow.

For example, in the coming months, we’ll integrate Adobe Firefly into Bard so you can generate completely new images from your own imagination, then edit further or add to designs in Adobe Express. #GoogleIOOpens a new window pic.twitter.com/eECyUU4WfSOpens a new window

— Google (@Google) May 10, 2023Opens a new window

AI-generated images aside, Bard can also write code, create photo captions, and perform similar content-generation tasks.

Other third-party app integrations with Bard include Kayak, OpenTable, ZipRecruiter, Instacart, Wolfram, and Khan Academy.

3. Google products and services that now feature AI

• Android Studio Hedgehog: This is designed to enable developers with code writing assistance and bug fixing.
• Play Store: Developers can optimize Android apps, write app listings content effortlessly, summarize app reviews, and leverage interest-based targeting using AI.
• Photos: Google is bringing MagicEditor to Photos to deliver an enhanced editing experience. MagicEditor will be available on a few Pixel phones.
• Workspace: Workspace will feature Duet AI, a generative AI designed to perform several creative tasks, including creating background images in Slides, text (assisted writing) in Word, data analysis in Sheets, and more.
• Maps: Google Maps could become more visual with Live View and Immersive View for routes. The latter fuses billions of Street View and aerial images to create a rich, 3D simulation of the world, Google explained. Google is debuting AI-upgraded Maps in 15 cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, and Miami.

From Street View ➡️ New Immersive View for routes in @GoogleMapsOpens a new window 🧵↓#GoogleIOOpens a new window pic.twitter.com/CMdR697hwmOpens a new window

— Google (@Google) May 10, 2023Opens a new window

See More: Exploring Generative AI’s Rise Across the Enterprise

4. Android 14 and Wear OS 4

Google also announced the Android 14 feature roster, which includes greater customization options (generative AI wallpapers, emoji wallpapers, cinematic wallpapers), lock screen customizations, support for larger displays (a no-brainer given the 7.6” Pixel Fold and 10.95” Pixel Tablet), Find My Device upgrades, unknown tracker alerts, and more.

Android 14 is available in Beta 2 and will see a broader launch in fall 2023.

Meanwhile, Wear OS 4 will get accessibility features (text-to-speech), improved battery backup, better optimization, and third-party apps, the first being WhatsApp. Third-party apps coming on the Wear OS platform are an important indicator of the platform finally taking off after years of lull. The collaboration with Samsung (which adopted Wear OS 3 for Galaxy Watch4 onwards) also helped Google gain a wider foothold in the wearables market.

More importantly, with Wear OS 4 on their wearables, users can back up and restore without factory resetting the device. Better late than never. Wear OS 4 is available in the developer preview and will be generally be available later this year.

More updates at Google I/O 2023

Google teased Project Tailwind, an AI note-taking utility that pulls data from a user’s drive, delivers a summary of the content, and creates a glossary. Josh Woodward, senior director of product management at Google, said, “Like a real notebook, your notes and your sources power Tailwind.”

“How it works is you can simply pick the files from Google Drive, and it effectively creates a personalized and private AI model with expertise in the information you give it. We’ve been developing this idea with authors like Steven Johnson and testing it at universities.”

Although it targets students, it could have a broader potential customer base. “We realized it’s not just for students. It’s helpful for anyone synthesizing information from many different sources that you choose. Like writers researching an article, or analysts going through earnings calls, or even lawyers going through a case. Imagine collaborating with an AI that’s grounded in what you’ve read and all your notes.”

What product are you most excited about from Google I/O 2023? Share your thoughts with us on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We’d love to hear from you!

Image source: Shutterstock

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