Google eases tech stress with AIpowered updates
NEWDELHI: Google CEO Sundar Pichai has announced product and platform updates that will use Artificial Intelligence, powered by the Google Assistant, while also launching the Android P beta version as well as a revamped Google News at the company’s annual developers conference.
“We are in an important inflection point in computing and it is exciting to drive the technology forward. It’s made us even more reflective of our responsibilities,” Pichai said on Tuesday at the annual Google I/O developers conference in California.
The announcements include updates to ease composing emails, making lists and reducing digital distractions. They come amid demands by critics to strengthen data privacy, tackle the growing addiction of devices and platforms among users and stopping the spread of misinformation.
Here are the top announcements from the first day of I/O 2018 developer conference:
SMARTER GMAIL
Google had recently rolled out a new user interface for Gmail. The email service is now getting a slew of AI-based features. Google introduced a new ‘Smart Compose’ feature that helps auto-complete emails as you type them. The new ‘Smart Compose’ feature is an extension of Google’s ‘Smart Reply’, which provides suggestions for auto responses. Gmail’s new feature will be rolled out to users over the next few weeks. The feature will also be available for G suite customers.
GOOGLE PHOTOS
Google’s cloud-based photo service already uses a few smart AI features. At this year’s I/O, Google introduced new tools allowing improved image recognition. It will deliver suggestions for enhancing the images, including increasing brightness of photos taken in low-light conditions. Google Photos can also colour your old black-and-white photos now and recognise documents and images to help you easily convert them into PDFs.
DIGITAL WELL-BEING
Google has introduced a new initiative that is aimed at helping users curb their addiction to smartphones. The company has introduced a set of tools that help users control their time spent on applications. Google also launched new ‘Shush’ feature that completely blocks notifications when you flip the device. The tech giant has also introduced a dashboard where users can monitor the time spent on different applications. The new features will be integrated into Google’s new Android P mobile operating system.
NEW GOOGLE NEWS
The company has rolled out a new version of Google News that uses the company’s AI and machine learning tools in an attempt to serve relevant news. Google News now “understands the people, places and things involved in a story as it evolves, and connects how they relate to one another,” says the company’s website. With a new “full coverage” feature, Google also aims to deliver a complete picture of how a story is reported from different sources.
GOOGLE ASSISTANT
Google said it was working with Wavenet to make Google Assistant’s voice more human-like. In addition to six new voices, Google has also roped in R&B singer John Legend to get his voice on its digital assistant.
ANDROID P
Google announced the availability of its latest beta of Android P for Pixel phones and select non-Google devices. Android P comes with a range of new features such as swipe gestures, app actions, adaptive brightness and adaptive battery controls among others.