Google I/O 2024 will be all about AI again

Google is preparing to hold its annual Google I/O developer conference next week, and naturally, it will be all about AI. The company did not hide this. Since last year’s I/O, it has debuted Gemini, its new, more powerful model aimed at competing with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and has been deep into testing new features for Search, Google Maps, and Android. Expect to hear a lot about these things this year.

Google I/O kicks off on Tuesday, May 14th at 10am PT / 1pm ET with a keynote. Can you understand this Google website or your Youtube channel, via the live stream link which is also embedded at the top of this page. (There is also a version with an American Sign Language interpreter.) Set aside a good amount of time for this; AE/O tends to last a few hours.

Google will also likely focus on the ways it plans to turn your smartphone into yet another AI gadget. This means more generative AI capabilities for Google apps. It’s working on AI features that help with dining and shopping or finding electric vehicle chargers on Google Maps, for example. Google is also testing a feature that uses AI to call a business and wait for you until there is actually a human available to talk.

AI/O could also see the debut of a new, more personal version of its digital assistant, reportedly called “Pixie.” The Gemini-powered assistant is expected to integrate multi-modal features such as the ability to take photos of objects to learn how to use them or get directions to a place to buy them.

This sort of thing could be bad news for devices like the Rabbit R1 and Human Ai Pin, which were recently released and have struggled to justify their existence. Right now, the only advantage they might have is that it’s kind of difficult (although not impossible) to use a smartphone as a wearable AI.