Google shows how Gmail, Photos and artificial intelligence will work for online shopping

(CNN) — A day after OpenAI impressed with its stunningly improved ChatGPT artificial intelligence model, Google showed off its vision for how AI will improve the products billions of people use every day.

The updates, announced at Google’s annual I/O developer conference, come as the company tries to expand beyond its core advertising business with new devices and tools powered by artificial intelligence.

Google has shown how it wants its artificial intelligence products to become a bigger part of users’ lives when sharing information, interacting with others, searching for objects in the home, setting a schedule, making purchases and using an Android device. Simply put, Google wants its AI to be part of everything you do.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai showed off several new features based on its latest AI model, Gemini 1.5 Pro. A new feature called Ask Photos allows users to search for photos to get more detailed information, such as asking when your daughter learned to swim or. remember her license plate number after viewing the saved images.

Google executives also demonstrated that they could “read” a textbook and turn it into a sort of artificial intelligence lecture with real professors to answer their questions.

Artificial intelligence improvements are also coming to Gmail. Pichai showed how users can ask Gemini 1.5 Pro to summarize all of their child’s recent school emails, analyzing attachments and summarizing key points.

Just a day earlier, OpenAI, one of the tech industry’s leaders in artificial intelligence, unveiled a new artificial intelligence model that it says will make the ChatGPT chatbot smarter and easier to use. The goal of GPT-4o is to transform ChatGPT into a digital personal assistant that can engage in real-time conversational conversations and interact through text and “vision.” This means you can view screenshots, photos, documents or graphics uploaded by users and discuss them.

Google also demonstrated Gemini’s latest capabilities for receiving different types of input (“multimodal” capabilities for receiving text, voice, or images) in direct response to ChatGPT’s voice mode. One executive also demonstrated a virtual “teammate” that can help stay on top of to-do lists, organize data, and manage workflow.

The company also noted improvements in search, allowing users to ask more natural or targeted questions and providing multiple versions of answers, such as detailed or summary results. For example, AI can suggest kid-friendly restaurants based on location or device malfunction, such as a camera, by recording video through Google Lens. The goal is to make Google search much easier, the company said.

Google also provided a sneak peek at Project Astra, developed by Google’s DeepMind artificial intelligence lab, which will allow AI assistants to assist users in everyday life by using phone cameras to interpret real world information, such as identifying objects and even finding lost items. . He also hinted at how it would work with augmented reality glasses.

The company said it will integrate more artificial intelligence features into phones later this year. For example, users will be able to drag and drop AI-generated images into Google and Gmail messages, as well as ask questions about YouTube videos and PDF files on an Android device. The AI ​​tool can also help detect suspicious activity, such as scam calls trying to impersonate the user’s bank.

It’s no surprise that artificial intelligence will take center stage at this year’s Google Developer Conference, according to analyst Jacob Bourne of research firm Emarketer.

“By showcasing its latest models and how they will expand existing products to reach consumers, Google is demonstrating how it can effectively differentiate itself from its competitors,” he said.

Bourne believes that the acquisition of new tools will be an indicator of how well Google can adapt its search product to the demands of the age of generative artificial intelligence.

“To maintain its competitive advantage and satisfy investors, Google will need to focus on transforming its AI innovations into profitable products and services at scale,” he said.