Google announced today its plans to further integrate advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology into its services. This move, announced at a packed developer conference, Google I/O, is considered to be in direct response to growing competition, particularly from Microsoft's Bing which has started to utilize AI similar to ChatGPT. The shift includes updates to Google's search engine, its Gmail service, and the Bard chatbot.
Key Takeaways:
- Google is testing advanced AI in its search engine, aiming to maintain its position as the internet’s main gateway. This cautious AI transition also seeks to preserve Google's reputation for delivering reliable search results.
- Google's Bard chatbot, powered by generative AI, will now be available to all users in more than 180 countries and in multiple languages beyond English. Bard's multilingual expansion will initially add Japanese and Korean before introducing approximately 40 more languages.
- Google's Gmail will feature an AI-powered "Help Me Write" option that will produce lengthy replies to emails in seconds. A new tool for photos, the "Magic Editor," will automatically edit pictures.
- Google is creating a search lab where people in the U.S. can join a waitlist to test how generative AI will be incorporated into search results. The AI results will be clearly tagged as experimental and will sound factual rather than conversational.
- The AI baked into the search engine will be prevented from responding to sensitive questions about health and finance. In those instances, Google will continue to direct people to authoritative websites.
- Google plans to connect Bard with the next generation of a massive dataset known as a "large language model" (LLM) to make it smarter. The AI in Google's search engine will draw upon the next-generation PaLM2 and another technology called a Multitask Unified Model (MUM).
- Google will add a new filter called "Perspectives" to its search engine that will focus on what people are saying online about a particular topic.
- Alongside AI advancements, Google also unveiled the first foldable smartphone in its Pixel lineup of gadgets, priced at $1,800, set to ship next month.
Conclusion:
Google's recent wave of AI announcements underlines its commitment to staying at the forefront of the AI revolution, aiming to enhance its services and maintain its leading position in the tech world.