The Artificial Intelligence Era of Android and Its Implications for Search, Messages, and Other Online Applications (Apple/iOS/io)

The AI gadgets that were supposed to save us from our phones have arrived woefully underbaked — whatever illusions we might have held that the Humane AI pin or the Rabbit R1 were going to offer any kind of salve for the constant rug burn of dealing with our personal tech is gone. The hot gadgets spring is over, and developer season begins this coming Tuesday with the I/O.

It’s a crucial time for the operating system. The re-org put the hardware team with the operating system team for the first time. It’s clear that the directive is to run quickly and use more artificial intelligence. Not preferring Google’s own products was a foundational principle of Android, though that model started shifting years ago as hardware and software teams collaborated more closely. The wall has been erased and the era of artificial intelligence is here. In the past year, it has been a little messy.

Those integrations are what drove the success of the operating system in the artificial intelligence era. There is no way to read your emails or your calendar as quickly as Gemini, it doesn’t have easy access to a history of every place you’ve visited in the past decade. There are real advantages and that’s what the world’s largest internet search engine needs right now. We know that Apple is working on a better version of its virtual assistant, called Siri, at this year’s World Wide Developers Conference. Both Microsoft and OpenAI are still working on their projects. Google needs to lean into its advantages to deliver AI that’s more than a party trick — even if it’s a little un-Android-like.

Three months ago, she launched as an alternative to the standard artificial intelligence assistant from the internet giant. It couldn’t set a reminder or access your calendar, on the first day. Google has added those functions since then, but it still doesn’t support third-party media apps like Spotify. Over the last decade, the search engine has supported the music service.

Google Assistant and I/O: What’s New with a Pixel, Pixel Tablet, and Pixel R1? The Case for AI and Human-Aid

It is not likely that you will see much new hardware from the internet company this year because the current iteration of the phone, the 2nd edition, is already available for pre-order and you can also purchase a cheaper variant of the device with a magnetic speaker dock. The company could still tease new products like the Pixel 9 — which, in typical Google fashion, is already leaking all over the place — and the Pixel Tablet 2, of course.

It might be bad news for devices such as the Rabbit R1 and the Human Ai Pin, which had trouble justifying their existence. At the moment, they only have one advantage, which is that it’s hard to pull off using a phone as an artificial intelligence device.

I/O could also see the debut of a new, more personal version of its digital assistant, rumored to be called “Pixie.” The Gemini-powered assistant is expected to integrate multimodal features like the ability to take pictures of objects to learn how to use them or get directions to a place to buy them.

Google will probably also focus on ways it plans to turn your smartphone into more of an AI gadget. That means more generative AI features for Google’s apps. It has been working on features that could help with dining and shopping, for instance. Google is also testing a feature that uses AI to call a business and wait on hold for you until there’s actually a human being available to talk to.

A keynote talk will be held on Tuesday, May 14th at 10:00AM Pacific/2PM Eastern. You can catch that on Google’s site or its YouTube channel, via the livestream link that’s also embedded at the top of this page. (There’s also a version with an American Sign Language interpreter.) It is a good idea to set a good amount of time aside for that.