During the Google Pixel phone launch on Tuesday, David Citron, a product director, presented the new AI assistant, Gemini, showcasing its mobile capabilities. The event took an awkward turn when Citron revealed that “all the demos today are live,” leading to a hiccup in the demonstration.
In front of a packed audience at Google’s Silicon Valley headquarters and approximately 100,000 YouTube viewers, Citron attempted to use Gemini to check his calendar after photographing a concert poster for Sabrina Carpenter’s San Francisco performance. The initial demo failed, freezing and displaying an error message. After a couple of failed attempts and a quick device swap, the third try succeeded, with Gemini confirming the concert details and checking Citron’s calendar.
Despite the brief glitch, the demo highlighted Google’s advantage as it integrates AI into its smartphone software. While competitors like Apple are preparing their AI features, Google’s Gemini is already operational and in testing.
In June, Apple showcased a pre-recorded video to demonstrate upcoming enhancements in its AI system, Apple Intelligence, including improvements to Siri and new features like image generation. Although Apple Intelligence is currently in developer testing, many of its anticipated features have not yet been publicly released.
Rick Osterloh, Google’s devices chief, emphasized the significance of the live demo, marking a shift from presenting future concepts to delivering tangible, shippable products. He noted that Google’s new features are set to become available to millions soon, unlike some unreleased innovations from competitors.
Following Apple’s announcement and subsequent scripted testing, the company has previewed some functions of Apple Intelligence for developers, but major features such as image generation and ChatGPT integration are still pending.
Google’s event may intensify competition with Apple as both companies race to integrate AI into their devices. According to IDC, smartphones with “Gen AI” capabilities are expected to see a significant increase in sales in 2024.
Grace Harmon, an analyst at eMarketer, commented that Google’s presentation sheds light on the competitive landscape Apple is facing. As AI technology transitions to mobile devices, the industry is moving from complex data center models to simpler, on-device functions.
The presentation also featured “multimodal AI,” enabling the assistant to interact with various types of inputs, such as photos. Gemini Live demonstrated its ability to perform tasks like managing shopping lists and calendar events naturally, thanks to Google’s extensive investment in AI.
In a press release, Google highlighted its unique end-to-end AI experience, a term traditionally used by Apple. Google also critiqued Apple’s forthcoming ChatGPT integration, claiming Gemini offers superior privacy by avoiding reliance on third-party AI providers.
Credit: CNBC (Text Excluding Headline)
