Google AI may mix good and questionable ideas in the anticipated Pixel 9

Google is reportedly going to unite existing and new machine learning (ML) features into a collection known as Google AI for Pixel. An anonymous insider recently spoke to Android Authority, spilling the beans on what the tech giant may have in store.

Before diving into the details, remember that this reporting of a potential update comes from a single screenshot of a menu. Not much is revealed, so the conclusions mentioned in the initial article are primarily speculation.

Regarding existing features, both Circle to Search, already available on Pixel and Galaxy smartphones, and Gemini, the brand's current AI assistant, will be moved under this new Google AI umbrella. The first new feature mentioned in the report is “Add Me,” which is described as a way to “make sure everyone’s included in a group photo.”

It’s unknown exactly what this means, but Android Authority theorizes this may be a revamped Best Take. If you’re unfamiliar, it's an AI tool that blends photographs together to ensure everyone looks their best and can help fix awkward shots. “Add Me” could be an upgrade as it may add the user to photographs they weren't originally part of.

“Studio” is the second new inclusion, and judging from the accompanying text, this is an AI image generator. Google has been working on image-generating models for some time now, and in February, the company launched ImageFX as one of its first forays into the tech. This could possibly be the mobile version that brings it to many more users. 

Screenshot scanning

The final ML feature, Screenshots, is arguably the most interesting of the bunch. According to the publication, the tool utilizes artificial intelligence to scour through on-device screenshots and provides information about them to help answer questions. 

That sounds very similar to Microsoft’s controversial Recall feature. In case you don’t know, Recall was a search tool that would record your activity on certain Copilot Plus PCs by taking constant screenshots. It was heavily criticized for being a privacy nightmare, and Microsoft has since pulled the tool

Google’s Screenshots differ from Recall because they're “more privacy-focused.” Instead of consistently recording, it only works on screenshots you take yourself. From there, the software inserts “extra metadata” into files like the names of apps and web links.

Pictures are then “processed by a local AI,” which can be used to look up specific images or answer questions about the content. Android Authority points out that it is a “better implementation of the idea than what Microsoft [had] created.”

Analysis: AI competition

It's possible Google is bringing everything under one name in order to better compete with rivals like Apple Intelligence and Moto AI. Smartphone manufacturers are injecting AI tech into their devices as a new way to stand out. Apple Intelligence is particularly interesting as it'll enable so much on Mac ecosystem when it launches later this year. It will, for example, summarize messages, generate emojis, and answer text prompts on the fly.

The Pixel series has similar abilities, but Google's AI services don't feel as united as Apple Intelligence. Plus, they are missing important tools like the image generator and screenshot scanner.

There is no word on whether or when the Google AI collection will be released, although the report claims it will roll out with the launch of the Pixel 9.

Be sure to check out TechRadar's list of the best Pixel phones for 2024.

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Meta secretly delayed my most anticipated Quest 3 feature, and we finally know why

When the Meta Quest 3 was unveiled I was impressed by a lot of what it had to offer in both the virtual- and mixed-reality departments, but by far the most interesting feature was Augments – persistent MR elements that you can use to decorate your home. As we approach the one-year mark since the headset was unveiled, Meta’s CTO has finally explained why Augments haven’t launched yet.

If you've forgotten about Augments, the concept is they’re a mixture of functional and visual mixed-reality decorations. Some are just meant to look pretty or offer basic functions, like a clock, while others act as portals to your favorite games or quick access to your favorite apps. You can see a version of them in your VR Meta Home as the little pod that launches First Encounters.

When the Quest 3 was first shown off back in September 2023 at Meta Connect 2023 we saw a little of what Augments would offer, and a promise that they’d launch in the not-too-distant future. Now Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s CTO, has revealed on Instagram that back in January Meta “decided it wasn’t good enough,” and so the team decided “to go back to the drawing board.”

Bosworth explained that Augments felt too much like a toy rather than living up to what Meta felt it had promised and wanted to deliver. However, in order to improve the feature it needed to start from scratch with a “completely different technical architecture.”

As a result the feature has been delayed, and Bosworth didn’t provide any kind of timeline for when we might eventually see Augments in action.

With September’s Meta Connect 2024 fast approaching there’s a small chance we’ll see the feature again there, but I hope the next time we see Augments is when Meta is actually ready to it to the public.

A Meta Quest 3 user throwing a giant die onto a virtual medieval tabletop game board full of castles, wizards and knights

Mixed reality is good, but Augments could make it better (Image credit: Meta)

Over-promise, under-deliver 

Meta is developing a worrying habit of teasing updates and hyping up features that it then takes way longer than expected to release, or which don’t live up to expectations.

Augments are the latest example, but we’ve seen it take a year to roll out virtual legs, and oversell the metaverse way ahead of when it could feasibly work as described, while hardware-wise the Meta Quest Pro wound up being a disappointment compared with more budget-friendly offerings like the Quest 3 that launched not long after – with software like Batman: Arkham Shadow being released as a Quest 3 exclusive and skipping the Pro.

I think Meta is also doing a lot of exciting things in the XR space (a catchall for VR, AR and MR); it recently made Horizon OS available to third-party hardware makers, and I love that it gets frequent software improvements. But its errors stick out and if they persist it’ll be a challenge to trust the announcements Meta makes until the product is actually in people’s hands – either physically or virtually.

Going into Meta Connect 2024 I hope Meta takes on board the lessons it's learned over the past couple of years, and as we go beyond the press conference I’d like to see it be more open with its plans, and with obstacles it faces. Setbacks happen, but if a major feature is getting delayed maybe let us know when that decision is made, rather than leaving us in the dark for months.

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