New competition for Apple and Samsung The new Google phones come with lots of AI

Google is putting artificial intelligence at the heart of its new Pixel smartphones. The internet company is in a race with Samsung and Apple when it comes to AI.

Google is focusing on AI functions in new smartphones from its own Pixel brand. For example, the software is supposed to summarize the content of emails and phone calls or make text suggestions. Google's AI software is designed to run particularly smoothly and securely on the company's own devices. The internet company is mobilizing its decades of investment in artificial intelligence for this purpose, said Head of Devices Rick Osterloh at the presentation of the Pixel 9 smartphone model at the headquarters in Mountain View.

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Some of the new AI functions are reserved for Pixel devices - such as the ability to capture and process information from screenshots. Other innovations are also coming to Android smartphones from other manufacturers. These include, for example, the Gemini Live voice assistant, which can hold a conversation with users.

Google is launching the Pixel 9 in four versions: a standard model, an upgraded Pro version with two display sizes and the Pro Fold, where the screen can be unfolded. When you buy the Pro model, you get a subscription to Gemini Live for a year.

"What can AI do for me?"

Osterloh emphasized that Google wants to answer the most important question about artificial intelligence: "What can AI do for me?" The internet company competes with its smartphones primarily with Samsung and Apple. The iPhone company also recently announced advanced AI functions, which are to be gradually introduced from the fall.

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However, Apple is taking a slightly different approach to Google: the company's own AI software will focus on personal information, while users can call on the chatbot ChatGPT from OpenAI for help with other questions. Google's Gemini, on the other hand, is intended as AI software for all situations in life.

Google also develops the Android mobile operating system, which is used to run Samsung smartphones as well as devices from Chinese rivals. The operating system and AI are becoming increasingly intertwined, said Osterloh. Google is thus supplying Android partners such as Samsung with AI functions and at the same time competing with them if they remain exclusive to its own devices.

Personalized AI functions

One of the new functions of the Pixel phones is that they can save the content of phone calls as text. The data is secure and only remains on the devices, Google emphasized. Microsoft recently postponed an AI function that was supposed to take and analyze screen recordings on Windows computers every few seconds because there were doubts about the protection of the data.

Numerous new AI functions from Google are initially launching in English in the USA, but will also be available in other countries over time. While the Facebook group Meta and Apple postponed the EU launch of AI functions with reference to the DMA digital law, Google emphasizes that it has no problems with this.

Google is also promising a significantly improved camera for the Pixel 9. It should deliver higher resolution images and better results in low light conditions. A new model of the company's own computer watch was also presented together with the smartphones.

New Google computer glasses?

Google has also never stopped working on computer glasses, said Osterloh and promised news on this later. Meta, for example, is currently experimenting with camera glasses. They can provide the AI with important context about where a user is and what they are seeing.

dpa