Google Goes Gaga for Gemini GenAI, Putting It at the Heart of Android, Pixel 9, and More
"We're infusing AI into everything we do," says Sameer Samat — and that's being made very obvious with the company's latest launches.
Google has unveiled its next-generation Pixel 9 smartphone family, Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds, and Pixel Watch 3 wearable — but it's the promise of Gemini-powered artificial intelligence (AI) features, more so than the shiny new hardware, which sits at the center of the company's promises.
"We believe that AI can make day-to-day life more productive, open up new ways to learn, and create ways for people to express themselves," says Google's Rick Osterloh of the company's launches this week. "This is especially true when AI is built into the devices that people carry around with them everywhere. We're innovating with AI at every layer of the tech stack — from our research and models that make new features and capabilities possible, to Android OS that brings the apps and services to billions of people to use every day, to our premium hardware built with a custom silicon chip."
Google has announced its next-generation Pixel 9 smartphone family, including a Pixel 9 Pro Fold with a foldable 8" internal screen, alongside the new Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2. The one thing tying everything together: Gemini, the company's family of multimodal generative AI models. For the phone range, Gemini will now be built in and replace the older Google Assistant voice assistant system — though initial hands-on reviews of the feature, such as this by Fast Company's Jared Newman, suggest it has some way to go before it can offer the same functionality.
A new Pixel Studio app allows for image generation on-device, accelerated by the handsets' Tensor G4 coprocessor. Pixel Weather uses the company's AI models to "supplement" data from more traditional weather forecasts, while Pixel Screenshots will allow for smart searching — with shades of Microsoft's divisive and delayed Windows Recall feature.
The privacy-conscious may raise an eyebrow at Call Notes, a new feature that listens in to calls and creates a summary of their content using the Gemini Nano model — a feature, which Google promises runs entirely on-device and plays a recorded prompt to all call participants when enabled. Gemini will also be a core feature of the Pixel Buds Pro 2, including a "Live with Gemini" mode for two-way conversations with the large language model — effectively replicating the core functionality of the poorly-reviewed AI Pin, minus the built-in projector.
Google is even shaking a little machine-learning magic over its latest wearable, the Pixel Watch 3 — promising an on-device model, which detects when you fall asleep and automatically enables "Bedtime Mode" with battery-saving and notification-disabling functionality. The same technology is used to deliver better heart tracking for runners, an AI-enhanced run recommendation system for Fitbit Premium subscribers, and a call-screening system that allows you to have your watch wait on hold on your behalf. A new algorithm has also been added for loss of pulse detection, which can trigger an automated call to emergency services — a feature that will only be available in selected Europe countries at launch.
"We're infusing AI into everything we do," says Google's Sameer Samat, president of the Android ecosystem arm, "across every layer of our full tech stack — from data center infrastructure to the operating system to devices. In order for AI to be truly helpful, it should naturally fit into our everyday lives, and the best place to experience that is on your Android device. With Gemini deeply integrated into Android, we're rebuilding the operating system with AI at the core, and redefining what phones can do. Read on to learn how we’re working with partners to bring the power of Gemini to billions of Android users while protecting people’s privacy."
The Pixel 9 family of phones is available to pre-order today, starting at $799 for the Pixel 9, $999 for the Pixel 9 Pro, $1,099 for the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and $1,799 for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold; the Pixel Watch 3 starts at $349.99, and the Pixel Buds Pro 2 at $229. More information is available on the Google store — alongside the warning that advanced AI features will incur a monthly subscription charge after the first year of ownership.