Google’s New AI Features Could (And Should) Make Apple Nervous

The Made By Google launch event saw the official unveiling of the Pixel 9 series and Pixel 9 Pro Fold, but it was the tech giant’s slew of new AI features that stole Tuesday’s show, firmly intensifying the smartphone AI arms race against Apple. Setting a new benchmark for what consumers can expect from their future mobile devices, there were plenty of announcements for Apple to respond to, come the rollout of its own Apple Intelligence service later this year.

Google Gemini’s New Features

As for Google Gemini, the company’s AI assistant has received significant upgrades. Deeply integrated into the Android operating system, Gemini promises to offer seamless interaction across various apps and tasks. The introduction of Gemini Live, for example, allows for free-flowing conversations with the AI, aiming to provide a more natural and intuitive user experience.

One of the most notable announcements was Pixel Studio, an on-device image generator that combines local processing with cloud-based models. This feature allows users to create and edit AI-generated images directly on their Pixel devices, showcasing Google’s commitment to on-device AI processing, powered by its latest Tensor G4 processor and on-device Gemini Nano experience.

On the photography front, Google introduced several AI-enhanced features that, based on the on-stage demos, look set to change how we use our smartphone cameras. The new Add Me feature, for example, uses multiple takes and AI to insert the photographer into group shots, ensuring no one is left out. Regardless of whether or not general users are heavily invested in AI at this early stage, this has the potential to be a headline-grabbing feature, with a very broad appeal.

Other upgrades include Super Res Zoom Video for high-quality video zoom (up to 20x on the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL models) which, again, should appeal to general users, especially when shooting videos from afar at events. Google also called Apple out by comparing its newly improved AI-powered panorama shots directly with a darker image shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Elsewhere, Google’s other newly announced AI-driven features include an enhanced weather app with AI-generated custom reports, intelligent list creation in Google Keep (such as generating a list of items shown in a YouTube video), and Pixel Screenshots — an app that organizes and recalls information from saved screenshots.

Pixel Screenshots, in particular, has the potential to change the way we use our phones to help organize daily tasks. If you’ve ever grabbed a screenshot reminder for a Wi-Fi password, or product that you want to buy (but can never remember where your screenshots live), it could prove invaluable, letting users treat their phones as functional, searchable archives. Call Notes is another standout feature, providing AI-generated summaries of phone conversations so that users can view transcripts to recheck important information, without having to make physical notes during their calls.

Both the Pixel Screenshots and Call Notes features will, naturally, give rise to privacy concerns, given the personalized extent of their capabilities, but Google made it clear that both apps are processed entirely on-device for privacy protection — something that can’t be said for all of Gemini’s functionalities.

Apple’s Response

While Google is aggressively pushing its AI features (and stating that they will all be rolling out over the coming weeks), Apple’s approach with its upcoming Apple Intelligence platform appears more measured. Announced at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple Intelligence is set to debut with iOS 18 this fall, though not all features will be available at launch.

As for Apple Intelligence’s capabilities, there are some clear answers to Google’s showcase. Apple’s Image Playground, similar to Google’s Pixel Studio, will allow users to create AI-generated images and emojis. Apple is also enhancing Siri with ChatGPT integration for more complex queries, and promising features like cross-app actions and personalized assistance.

Apple’s rollout strategy, however, differs from Google’s more comprehensive approach. Apple Intelligence will initially be limited to newer devices, starting with the iPhone 15 Pro series, and will expand language support beyond U.S. English over the course of the next year. In comparison, Google Gemini is available in more than 40 languages at the time of writing, across multiple devices including Google’s supported Pixel range and Samsung’s latest Galaxy S24 series.

Privacy Concerns

Both Google and Apple are emphasizing privacy in their AI implementations, but with different strategies. Google’s Gemini Nano processes sensitive tasks like call summarization directly on the device. However, it should be noted that many of Gemini’s advanced features still rely on cloud processing, which is something that won’t sit well with more privacy-focused consumers.

Apple, known for its strong stance on privacy, promises that AI interactions will be invisible, even to Apple itself. The company’s Private Cloud Compute strategy aims to process AI tasks on Apple’s servers without storing or accessing user data. However, Apple’s partnership with OpenAI for certain Siri functions has also raised some questions in the privacy-conscious tech community.

The Battle For AI Supremacy

Google’s AI announcements have raised the stakes in the smartphone AI race. With many of these features imminently rolling out to users, Google has set a high bar for Apple to match (or exceed) with its upcoming Apple Intelligence platform.

The pressure on Apple is particularly high, given recent trends in iPhone sales, which have made up a smaller percentage of the company’s total sales over the last four years. With expectations that the iPhone 16 won’t differ drastically in form from recent models, the success of Apple Intelligence could be crucial in reigniting consumer excitement.

As we approach the initial rollout of Apple Intelligence in October and the iPhone 16 launch in September, the tech industry will be watching closely. Can Apple match or surpass Google’s AI innovations? Will Apple Intelligence offer unique features that set it apart? Or will Google’s head start prove to be significant?

No matter what unfolds, it’s clear that AI is becoming an increasingly central part of the smartphone experience. As it evolves, it has the potential to reshape how we interact with our devices, raising both exciting possibilities and important questions about privacy and the role of AI in our daily lives.