Google I/O 2024: AI, AI and more AI

The tech company presented upcoming highlights at Google I/O 2024. At the opening of the search engine giant’s in-house trade fair, it became clear that Google wants to make the topic of artificial intelligence a top priority. Gemini, the answer to ChatGPT, is set to be the key to success.

Google Gemini flexes its muscles

You didn’t have to be an industry expert to know that Google would be focusing on the topic of artificial intelligence at the opening of Google I/O 2024 on 13 May. There was a lot of pressure from the competition beforehand. Yesterday, OpenAI presented its upcoming Omni model with GPT-4o. Google’s response followed with a full broadside. The focus was on Gemini.

The tech giant’s own language model flexed its muscles at the opening event under the direction of Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Pichai used Gemini on his own smartphone to present new strengths. Here he wanted to search for his license plate as an example. The voice model analyzed the photos taken of the car and immediately displayed the license plate.

This was followed by further new functions associated with the AI helper. In particular, the focus was on everyday apps such as Google Docs, Gmail and the calendar. In future, Gemini 1.5 Pro will be available as an omnipresent helper in a side column in the applications. The automatic replies in the Gmail app for your smartphone should provide more convenience and save time.

Gemini will be able to write and send context-based replies. For requests for Google’s chatbot that cannot be reached via speed dial, you can also ask the AI for support via prompt. Furthermore, Gemini will soon be able to act as an independent chat participant in Google Chat. This should be a great asset for companies in particular.

Google Gemini should not only help with work

In addition to the world of work, Google is also focusing on private life. In one example, Gemini acted as a so-called agent. In this case, a person had bought clothes in the wrong size. In this case, it should be possible to take a photo of the item of clothing and then receive support from the chatbot. The chatbot then simply orders the correct size on its own and coordinates the collection.

However, this is still a long way off. In general, it has to be said that the opening event at Google I/O was largely a glimpse into the future. After all, we will still have to wait some time before many of the innovations on show are implemented. Incidentally, it should soon be possible to communicate with Gemini via voice control. That would be the counterpart to GPT-4o.

Google search 2.0

As a search engine giant, Google naturally also has to keep an eye on the service that has helped the company grow to the size it is today. To keep up with the times, AI will also play a major role in the future of Google Search. However, for better or worse, Google is trying not to lose sight of the advertising market.

Unlike Microsoft Copilot or Bing, the upcoming Google search is a little more narrow-lipped. Although you will receive the right answer, you will have to click on a link for more in-depth explanations. This means that advertisements will continue to be the main source of income. More complex questions should also be possible with the new search.

For example, the little helper should be able to put together an entire meal plan for fans of Meal-Prep. The Google search was also able to find the right restaurant for the upcoming anniversary in the presentation. Anyone who needs help with brainstorming will also be able to use the search as a source of ideas in future.

The AI features became really impressive when Google presented its video search. As a user, you should be able to have videos of facts analyzed by the AI and receive support accordingly. This is particularly helpful if a technical device is once again not doing what you want it to do. There are then links to instructions that solve the problem.

A look into the future

As already mentioned, the new features will of course not be available immediately. In fact, we will have to wait a few more months for many of the new features. As part of the presentation, the tech group also presented projects that may lie even further in the future. These include Project Astra. Here, you will be able to use your smartphone camera as the AI’s eye, so to speak, and ask questions about buildings or other things in your surroundings.

Google also presented Gemini 1.5 Flash, a special version of the chatbot for developers. This should work significantly faster than Gemini 1.5 Pro. With the help of Veo, users will be able to create videos using a prompt. These all sound like really exciting innovations. Whether the whole thing works as smoothly as Google presented it at its in-house trade fair remains to be seen in the coming weeks, months and years.