Google I/O 2024: This is every part Google simply introduced
12 min readIt’s that second you’ve been ready for all 12 months: Google I/O keynote day! Google kicked off its developer convention annually with a rapid-fire stream of bulletins, together with many unveilings of current issues it’s been engaged on. Brian already kicked us off by sharing what we predict.
Since you may not have had time to look at the entire two-hour presentation Tuesday, we took that on and delivered fast hits of the most important information from the keynote as they have been introduced, all in an easy-to-digest, easy-to-skim record.
Updated security measures
On Wednesday, Google introduced it’s including new safety and privateness protections to Android, together with on-device stay menace detection to catch malicious apps, new safeguards for display sharing, and higher safety in opposition to cell web site simulators.
The firm stated it’s rising the on-device functionality of its Google Play Protect system to detect fraudulent apps making an attempt to breach delicate permissions. It additionally makes use of AI to detect if apps try to work together with different providers and apps in an unauthorized method.
Google stated if the system is definite about malicious conduct, it disables the app routinely. Otherwise, it alerts the corporate for a evaluation after which alerts customers. Read extra
Google TV
Google labored its Gemini into its Google TV sensible TV working system so it may generate descriptions for films and TV exhibits. When an outline is lacking on the house display, the AI will fill it in routinely to make sure that viewers by no means need to marvel what a title is about. It’ll additionally translate descriptions into the viewer’s native language, making the content material extra discoverable to a wider viewers. The better part? The AI-generated descriptions are additionally customized based mostly on a viewer’s style and actor preferences. Read extra
Private Space function
Now right here’s a enjoyable one. Private Space is a brand new Android function that lets customers silo a portion of the working system for delicate data. It’s a bit like Incognito mode for the cellular working system, sectioning designated apps right into a “container.”
The house is obtainable from the launcher and may be locked as a second layer of authentication. Apps in Private Space might be hidden from notifications, settings and recents. Users can nonetheless entry the apps via a system sharesheet and picture picker in the primary house, as long as the non-public house has been unlocked.
Developers can mess around with it now, however there’s a caveat — there’s a bug. Google says it expects to handle the bug within the coming days. Read extra
Google Maps will get geospatial AR
Google Maps customers will quickly have a brand new layer of content material on their telephones — they are going to have entry to geospatial augmented actuality content material. The function will first seem in Singapore and Paris as a part of a pilot program launching later this 12 months.
Users will be capable of entry the AR content material by first looking for a location in Google Maps. If the situation has AR content material and the consumer is close to the place, they should faucet on the picture that claims “AR Experience” after which raise their telephone.
If somebody is exploring a spot remotely, they’ll see the identical AR expertise in Street View. After exploring the AR content material, customers can share the expertise via a deep hyperlink URL or QR code on social media. Read extra
Wear OS 5
Google gave a developer preview of the brand new model of its smartwatch working system, Wear OS 5. The newest launch focuses on improved battery life and different efficiency enhancements, like extra environment friendly exercise monitoring. Developers are additionally getting up to date instruments for creating watch faces, in addition to new variations of Wear OS tiles and Jetpack Compose for constructing watch apps. Read extra
TechCrunch Minute
As we observe throughout this put up, the Google I/O developer convention got here with a giant dose of AI. See how Anthony Ha summed it up Wednesday. Read extra
Even Elon Musk took observe
“Web” search filter
Google launched a brand new strategy to filter for simply text-based hyperlinks. The new “Web” filter seems on the high of the outcomes web page and permits customers to filter for textual content hyperlinks the way in which they’ll at the moment filter for photographs, video, information or procuring.
As Sarah Perez experiences, the launch is an admission that generally folks will need to simply floor text-based hyperlinks to net pages, aka the traditional blue hyperlinks, that at the moment are sometimes of secondary significance as Google both solutions the query in its informational Knowledge Panels or, now, via AI experiments. Read extra
Firebase Genkit
There’s a brand new addition to the Firebase platform, known as Firebase Genkit, that goals to make it simpler for builders to construct AI-powered functions in JavaScript/TypeScript, with Go assist coming quickly. It’s an open supply framework, utilizing the Apache 2.0 license, that permits builders to rapidly construct AI into new and current functions.
Some of the use circumstances for Genkit the corporate is highlighting Tuesday embrace lots of the commonplace GenAI use circumstances: content material technology and summarization, textual content translation and producing photographs. Read extra
AI advert nauseam
Tuesday’s Google I/O ran for 110 minutes, however Google managed to reference AI a whopping 121 occasions throughout (by its personal depend) the occasion. CEO Sundar Pichai referenced the determine to wrap up the presentation, cheekily stating that the corporate was doing the “hard work” of counting for us. Again, it was no shock — we have been prepared for it. Read extra
Generative AI for studying
Also at the moment, Google unveiled LearnLM, a brand new household of generative AI fashions “fine-tuned” for studying. It’s a collaboration between Google’s DeepMind AI analysis division and Google Research. LearnLM fashions are designed to “conversationally” tutor college students on a variety of topics, Google says.
Though it’s already out there on a number of of Google’s platforms, the corporate is taking LearnLM via a pilot program in Google Classroom. It can also be working with educators to see how LearnLM would possibly simplify and enhance the method of lesson planning. LearnLM might assist academics uncover new concepts, content material and actions, Google says, or discover supplies tailor-made to the wants of particular pupil cohorts. Read extra
Quiz grasp
Speaking of schooling, new to YouTube are AI-generated quizzes. This new conversational AI device permits customers to figuratively “raise their hand” when watching academic movies. Viewers can ask clarifying questions, get useful explanations or take a quiz on the subject material.
This goes to be some reduction for individuals who have to look at longer academic movies, akin to lectures or seminars, as a result of Gemini mannequin’s long-context capabilities. These new options are rolling out to pick out Android customers within the U.S. Read extra
Gemma 2 updates
One of the highest requests Google heard from builders is for a much bigger Gemma mannequin, so Google might be including a brand new 27-billion-parameter mannequin to Gemma 2. This subsequent technology of Google’s Gemma fashions will launch in June. This dimension is optimized by Nvidia to run on next-generation GPU and may run effectively on a single TPU host and vertex AI, Google stated. Read extra
Google Play
Google Play is getting some consideration with a brand new discovery function for apps, new methods to amass customers, updates to Play Points and different enhancements to developer-facing instruments just like the Google Play SDK Console and Play Integrity API, amongst different issues.
Of explicit curiosity to builders is one thing known as the Engage SDK, which is able to introduce a manner for app makers to showcase their content material to customers in a full-screen, immersive expertise that’s customized to the person consumer. Google says this isn’t a floor that customers can see presently, nevertheless. Read extra
Detecting scams throughout calls
Tuesday, Google previewed a function it believes will alert customers to potential scams through the name.
The function, which might be constructed right into a future model of Android, makes use of Gemini Nano, the smallest model of Google’s generative AI providing, which may be run solely on-device. The system successfully listens for “conversation patterns commonly associated with scams” in actual time.
Google offers the instance of somebody pretending to be a “bank representative.” Common scammer ways like password requests and present playing cards may also set off the system. These are all fairly nicely understood to be methods of extracting your cash from you, however loads of folks on the planet are nonetheless weak to those types of scams. Once set off, it is going to pop up a notification that the consumer could also be falling prey to unsavory characters. Read extra
Ask Photos
Google Photos is getting an AI infusion with the launch of an experimental function, Ask Photos, powered by Google’s Gemini AI mannequin. The new addition, which rolls out later this summer season, will permit customers to go looking throughout their Google Photos assortment utilizing pure language queries that leverage an AI’s understanding of their picture’s content material and different metadata.
While earlier than customers might seek for particular folks, locations, or issues of their pictures, due to pure language processing, the AI improve will make discovering the proper content material extra intuitive and fewer of a handbook search course of.
And the instance was cute, too. Who doesn’t love a tiger stuffed animal/Golden Retriever band duo known as “Golden Stripes?” Read extra
All About Gemini
Gemini in Gmail
Gmail customers will be capable of search, summarize, and draft their emails utilizing its Gemini AI expertise. It may also be capable of take motion on emails for extra complicated duties, like serving to you course of an e-commerce return by looking your inbox, discovering the receipt and filling out an internet type. Read extra
Gemini 1.5 Pro
Another improve to the generative AI is that Gemini can now analyze longer paperwork, codebases, movies and audio recordings than earlier than.
In a non-public preview of a brand new model of Gemini 1.5 Pro, the corporate’s present flagship mannequin, it was revealed that it may soak up as much as 2 million tokens. That’s double the earlier most quantity. With that stage, the brand new model of Gemini 1.5 Pro helps the most important enter of any commercially out there mannequin. Read extra
Gemini Live
The firm previewed a brand new expertise in Gemini known as Gemini Live, which lets customers have “in-depth” voice chats with Gemini on their smartphones. Users can interrupt Gemini whereas the chatbot’s chatting with ask clarifying questions, and it’ll adapt to their speech patterns in actual time. And Gemini can see and reply to customers’ environment, both through pictures or video captured by their smartphones’ cameras.
At first look, Live doesn’t look like a drastic improve over current tech. But Google claims it faucets newer strategies from the generative AI area to ship superior, much less error-prone picture evaluation — and combines these strategies with an enhanced speech engine for extra constant, emotionally expressive and real looking multi-turn dialogue. Read extra
Gemini Nano
Now for a tiny announcement. Google can also be constructing Gemini Nano, the smallest of its AI fashions, straight into the Chrome desktop consumer, beginning with Chrome 126. This, the corporate says, will allow builders to make use of the on-device mannequin to energy their very own AI options. Google plans to make use of this new functionality to energy options like the present “help me write” device from Workspace Lab in Gmail, for instance. Read extra
Gemini on Android
Google’s Gemini on Android, its AI substitute for Google Assistant, will quickly be making the most of its skill to deeply combine with Android’s cellular working system and Google’s apps. Users will be capable of drag and drop AI-generated photographs straight into their Gmail, Google Messages and different apps. Meanwhile, YouTube customers will be capable of faucet “Ask this video” to seek out particular data from inside that YouTube video, Google says. Read extra
Gemini on Google Maps
Gemini mannequin capabilities are coming to the Google Maps platform for builders, beginning with the Places API. Developers can present generative AI summaries of locations and areas in their very own apps and web sites. The summaries are created based mostly on Gemini’s evaluation of insights from Google Maps’ neighborhood of greater than 300 million contributors. What’s higher? Developers will now not have to jot down their very own customized descriptions of locations. Read extra
Tensor Processing Units get a efficiency increase
Google unveiled its subsequent technology — the sixth, to be actual — of its Tensor Processing Units (TPU) AI chips. Dubbed Trillium, they are going to launch later this 12 months. If you recall, saying the following technology of TPUs is one thing of a practice at I/O, even because the chips solely roll out later within the 12 months.
These new TPUs will function a 4.7x efficiency increase in compute efficiency per chip when in comparison with the fifth technology. What’s perhaps much more necessary, although, is that Trillium options the third technology of SparseCore, which Google describes as “a specialized accelerator for processing ultra-large embeddings common in advanced ranking and recommendation workloads.” Read extra
AI in search
Google is including extra AI to its search, assuaging doubts that the corporate is shedding market share to rivals like ChatGPT and Perplexity. It is rolling out AI-powered overviews to customers within the U.S. Additionally, the corporate can also be wanting to make use of Gemini as an agent for issues like journey planning. Read extra
Google plans to make use of generative AI to arrange all the search outcomes web page for some search outcomes. That’s along with the present AI Overview function, which creates a brief snippet with mixture details about a subject you have been looking for. The AI Overview function turns into usually out there Tuesday, after a stint in Google’s AI Labs program. Read extra
Generative AI upgrades
Google introduced Imagen 3, the newest within the tech big’s Imagen generative AI mannequin household.
Demis Hassabis, CEO of DeepMind, Google’s AI analysis division, stated that Imagen 3 extra precisely understands the textual content prompts that it interprets into photographs versus its predecessor, Imagen 2, and is extra “creative and detailed” in its generations. In addition, the mannequin produces fewer “distracting artifacts” and errors, he stated.
“This is (also) our best model yet for rendering text, which has been a challenge for image generation models,” Hassabis added. Read extra
Project IDX
Project IDX, the corporate’s next-gen, AI-centric browser-based improvement surroundings, is now in open beta. With this replace comes an integration with the Google Maps Platform into the IDE, serving to add geolocation options to its apps, in addition to integrations with the Chrome Dev Tools and Lighthouse to assist debug functions. Soon, Google may also allow deploying apps to Cloud Run, Google Cloud’s serverless platform for operating front- and back-end providers. Read extra
Veo
Google’s gunning for OpenAI’s Sora with Veo, an AI mannequin that may create 1080p video clips round a minute lengthy given a textual content immediate. Veo can seize completely different visible and cinematic kinds, together with pictures of landscapes and time lapses, and make edits and changes to already-generated footage.
It additionally builds on Google’s preliminary business work in video technology, previewed in April, which tapped the corporate’s Imagen 2 household of image-generating fashions to create looping video clips. Read extra
Circle to Search
The AI-powered Circle to Search function, which permits Android customers to get on the spot solutions utilizing gestures like circling, will now be capable of resolve extra complicated issues throughout psychics and math phrase issues. It’s designed to make it extra pure to have interaction with Google Search from wherever on the telephone by taking some motion — like circling, highlighting, scribbling or tapping. Oh, and it’s additionally higher to assist youngsters with their homework straight from supported Android telephones and tablets. Read extra
Pixel 8a
Google couldn’t wait till I/O to point out off the newest addition to the Pixel line and introduced the brand new Pixel 8a final week. The handset begins at $499 and ships Tuesday. The updates, too, are what we’ve come to count on from these refreshes. At the highest of the record is the addition of the Tensor G3 chip. Read extra
Pixel Slate
Google’s Pixel Tablet, known as Slate, is now out there. If you recall, Brian reviewed the Pixel Tablet round this time final 12 months, and all he talked about was the bottom. Interestingly sufficient, the pill is obtainable with out it. Read extra
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