The 6 biggest AI features to expect from Google I/O 2023
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The 6 biggest AI features to expect from Google I/O 2023
Zoubin Ghahramani, VP of Google Research, presenting at a Google AI keynote in NYC.
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET
Google has been a leader in developing advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning models way before the generative AI craze began.
However, the company’s generative AI efforts have paled in comparison to those of competitors, such as OpenAI and Microsoft, who are currently dominating the space with ChatGPT and Bing Chat. Even Google’s direct answer to those services, Google Bard, has been underwhelming and fallen short of expectations.
Also: 5 products we expect to see at Google I/O (and 3 surprise picks to keep in mind)
To accelerate its growth and hopefully bridge the innovation gap, Google will have to come up with something better than the competition, and what better time to do so than at Google I/O on May 10?
The annual developer conference brings together professionals from across the globe to learn more about the company’s latest software and hardware innovations, so it’s near-definite that Google will use the stage this time around to announce its hottest, latest developments in AI.
Here’s a round-up of what ZDNET expects Google to announce going into event day.
1. Bard, but smarter
In the past, Google typically held onto its AI models until the company was sure they were fully ready to be released to the public. But the rapid growth of ChatGPT caused Google to take a different approach.
After seeing ChatGPT’s success, the company rushed to release its own chatbot, Google Bard, way before it was ready to deliver real value to customers. Google CEO Sundar Pichai even called Bard to “a souped-up Civic” compared to other AI models in an interview.
Also: What is Google Bard? Here’s everything you need to know
In that same interview, Pichai said that soon Google would be upgrading Bard to a more capable PaLM model that would improve its reasoning, coding, and math abilities. Since Google desperately needs to redeem itself from Bard’s initial launch, the company is expected to make public said upgrades at Google I/O.
2. A new search engine
In order to keep up with Bing Chat, it has also been rumored that Google is working on integrating AI features into its own search engine, utilizing users’ browsing habits to curate personalized recommendations, including purchases and basic information in a conversational manner.
The new service, which includes the rumored Project Magi, currently has over 160 people working on these features full-time, as reported by The New York Times.
Also: Google rushes to develop AI search engine after Samsung considers ditching it for Bing
Google holds the biggest share of the search engine market, responsible for about 90% of all search queries worldwide. By integrating AI into its search engine, Google can leverage its position in the search market to propel it within the AI space too.
Expect to learn more about Magi and this upcoming search engine at Google I/O next week.
3. AI upgrades to Workspace
Back in March, Google announced the arrival of AI advances to its Google Workspace. This meant that all of Google’s widely-used productivity tools including Gmail, Google Docs and Slides were getting a generative AI facelift.
Despite the announcement, these features have yet to be released to the public as they are undergoing beta testing. Google I/O would be a great opportunity for the tech giant to make a public release of the enhanced Workspace ensemble.
Also: Gmail, Docs are getting generative AI tools, too
The timing is especially great because although Microsoft announced a similar AI revamp to its Office 365 apps, the company has yet to release it to the public as well. Google has every chance to take the first punch in this AI bout.
4. Google Assistant could use a promotion
Although voice assistants seemed like the most advanced AI technology when they first entered the market, the technology has remained stagnant since. That’s why Google Assistant, the company’s voice assistant, makes for the perfect vehicle for generative AI integration.
Also: If Android moves from Assistant to Bard, I’m opting out. Here’s why
Gaining improve functionality and the ability to create based on user prompts would position the Google Assistant ahead of Apple’s Siri and Amazon Alexa. And there’s no Microsoft AI assistant to worry about, fortunately.
In fact, Amazon is already eyeing such an opportunity for Alexa. The company recently announced it was working on a large language model to power Alexa that is “much larger and much more generalized and capable.”
5. Will Imagen finally debut?
AI art generators such as DALL-E have been a major part of the AI craze. Because of DALL-E’s immense popularity, several competitors have developed their own competing generators — except for Google.
Also: How to use Midjourney to generate amazing images and art
The irony however is that Google has long had a very capable AI image generator, Imagen, in the works. Yet, the company still hasn’t released it to the public. Is it a problem with development? Are there not enough people to work on the service? Are they afraid of pulling another Bard incident?
There’s no better time to officially debut Google’s text-to-image generator than at I/O. Let’s just hope they do.
6. Developers tools
On the event website, Google teases a “What’s new in generative AI?” session, where the company will be sharing “a new suite of tools that make it easy for developers to build on top of our (Google’s) best models”.
Also: This new technology could blow away GPT-4 and everything like it
Since the event is geared towards developers, there is no doubt a large portion of it will be dedicated to tools and services catered to that audience, including APIs and more-efficient work processes.
For reference, OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT’s API for developers was a huge success for the company, and it has allowed many brands like Grammarly to adopt the advanced technology onto their own platforms.
