Google's Latest AI Advancements Bring Enhanced Capabilities to Search and Maps

Google unveiled its big bet on Artificial Intelligence (AI) at its developer I/O conference on Wednesday, sending shares of its parent Alphabet Inc (GOOG) (GOOGL) nearly 4% higher in intra-day trading.

Key Takeaways

• Google will expand Bard to 180 countries with more than 40 languages.
• The company announced the upcoming Pixel 7a and Android 14 operating system.
• Immersive View Map improvements and AI-driven photo editing were also announced.

Google's Bard chatbot garnered most of the attention at the conference, with immediate support for Korean and Japanese languages. The company said it will soon offer an AI competitor to Microsoft (MSFT) ChatGPT in more than 180 countries and 40 languages. The company announced the launch of PaLM 2, which is its newest Large Language Model (LLM) and will be the driver of the announced new AI features.

Google said it is working with Adobe (ADBE) to allow Chatbots to build images from language descriptions. The company said that Bard will now be integrated into productivity apps like Sheets and Slides.

A day ago, Engadget provided a preview of Google's Search Generative Experience, which will rival Bing's new search engine.

Google also announced the launch of its Pixel tablet a day before the developer conference, and the company revealed more details about its Pixel 7a handset at I/O 2023, as leaked by Media Peanut.

Google Maps Routes Get Immersive, Photo Editing Gets AI

Google Maps is set to build on its immersive view format launched last year, which will offer users a more detailed view when they look for directions in select cities. With the immersive view, users will be able to see traffic, weather, bike lanes and parking information.

Google will Integrate AI, real-time data and historical trends to predict the likelihood of traffic congestion and incorporate weather into the visualizations. The new features will initially be rolled out in 15 cities, including Las Vegas, Miami and Seattle in seven US cities.

Another new feature highlighted was the Magic Editor, which uses its AI technology to perform photo editing without the need for complex equipment. Google shared examples of the tool, where AI technology can be used to move, insert or remove objects in a photo, and change the background color, etc.

Google's parent company Alphabet recently beat analyst estimates for its first-quarter revenue. However, the company is still struggling in a macroeconomic environment where advertising spending has plummeted. Advertising revenue fell 5% on Google, while sales of Youtube ads fell to $6.69 billion from $6.86 billion a year earlier. Share price got a boost after the board approved a $70 billion stock buyback program.

Not everyone is convinced by Google's rush to compete with Microsoft in the AI arms race. "Comparisons are poor, and insider reports paint a company in panic and disarray," Bard said in a recent article for Verge.