revolution in Android Auto, Gmail or Google Maps with AI as an assistant

That 2023 has been the year of artificial intelligence is something that even the least tech-savvy have noticed. The bet was placed on all major companies, with a few exceptions like Apple, which surely left all the news for the next WWDC. And part of the blame for this race goes to OpenAI, which, with the launch of ChatGPT, ushered in a new era of computing.

Google is one of the companies that has the most to lose in this new reality, as it cannot take very aggressive measures as this would destroy its main sources of revenue, such as the search engine itself. This is something that Microsoft, for example, has not had to consider. The Mountain View company’s response will arrive in the coming days. Google I/O 2024 will be held in San Francisco today, Tuesday May 14, at 7:00 p.m. Spanish Peninsula time.

OpenAI’s recent announcement regarding its voice assistant, which took place today, is a good example of what Google must react quickly in order not to lose leadership in the sectors it currently leads. To do this, we wanted to focus on software news in this presentation intended for developers, having left the hardware already announced.

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Last week the company presented the new Pixel 8a, the company’s new entry-level mobile, a terminal that has already passed through our analysis table. He also announced the arrival in Europe of the Pixel tablet, which can now be purchased without charging support, with a price drop. Google wanted to announce everything related to devices before this Google I/O so as not to take away the relevance of software advertisements, which constitute the main course.

Gemini is the future

In recent months we have seen how Google is giving more and more importance to Gemini, its brand for everything related to generative artificial intelligence. This development even replaced the Google Assistant, which was already not up to par on mobile phones. The situation was not as problematic as Siri, but next to the new chatbots the jump in quality was obvious.

At this event it is expected that new functions will be announced for this program, perhaps even the inclusion of wizard routines, one of the main shortcomings of using this program as a substitute for the home automation assistant. Currently there are things you can’t do yet, and this prevents many from choosing to use it and keep the classic version of the voice assistant. One of the new features will be linked to task automation in Google WorkSpace, for which there will be a workshop as part of Google I/O itself. But the most important thing will be the development of the Gemini API, because Google surely wants to encourage developers to create connected applications and services with its new artificial intelligence interface.

Android in the car

Another novelty that Google seems to be preparing is a reinvention of what can be offered in the car. Android Auto is a real success and makes it possible to offer better multimedia functions to cars that are not equipped with them as standard. Android Automotive goes further, and allows you to fully control the car, provided the manufacturer allows it.

But leadership in automotive software now appears to be in China, with proposals like those of Xiaomi with Hyper OS. Google plans to offer vehicle app developers features like viewing multiple apps at once or sending content from the phone to the car.

Android 15

The new version of Android has been with us for a few weeks now, at least if we risked installing the developer versions. During the inaugural keynote, we may talk about the new features that the final version will have, which will probably be released at the end of summer.

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This is where you might be able to see a preview of the Pixel 9 launching in the fall, as well as the next-generation Pixel Fold. However, Android has matured a lot and it’s possible that the new features have more to do with the AI ​​of Gemini and other products than its own functions. However, there is speculation that it will feature a desktop mode similar to what Samsung DeX allows.

Augmented reality in Maps

Another area we hope to see developments in is augmented and virtual reality. Google Maps is the star app here, with features that have been added in recent months and may improve in the future. There will also be workshops for developers interested in this.

And they not only want to create new tools, but also make them very easy to use. In this other lab, for example, developers must create high-quality 3D maps with very few lines of code. This might change how you interact with maps in some apps. Announcements of new AI features in the Maps app are also expected.

To watch the opening presentation live, it is best to use the live stream which will be broadcast from this event’s YouTube channel. To learn more about specific topics, the Google I/O website is the best way to do so, where all the videos and tutorials are located.