Google I/O It is always an important occasion for the company. It’s where Google announces new tools for developers, shows off experimental technology and previews upcoming products. But this year’s conference is bound to attract more eyeballs than usual thanks to the excitement surrounding generative AI — or artificial intelligence algorithms that can generate content based on text prompts.
“This year, with the explosion of generative AI, there will be more of a focus on Google than anyone else,” said Avi Greengart, President and Principal Analyst at Techsponential.
Ever since ChatGPT captured the attention of investors, the general public, and the tech industry in late 2022, Google and Microsoft have been vying for dominance in the field of generative AI. This competition was on full display throughout 2023 as both companies introduced new AI-based features and products.
Google reportedly issued a “token red” within the company in December after ChatGPT’s success, according to The New York Times. The Google I/O conference, which will take place on May 10, will be a major opportunity for the company to show what the efforts behind the “Code Red” crisis have come to.
Rivalry between Google and Microsoft
Microsoft Bing has an AI assistant program.
It is rare for a company other than Google to make headlines because of its search engine. But that’s exactly what happened in 2023 when Microsoft announced new AI-powered features for Bing. As part of the so-called Bing revival, Microsoft has integrated the technology behind ChatGPT to provide more conversational answers to search queries.
This was the first in a series of AI-related updates from Microsoft this year. The Windows maker is also sprinkling AI-powered features throughout Word and the rest of its Office 365 productivity suite. It also introduced an AI tool to help cybersecurity professionals detect and address potential threats. Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, also gave it an early edge in the AI race.
But Google has had plenty of AI-related announcements to make in 2023 so far. The company introduced its ChatGPT competitor called Bard in February at the same time Microsoft announced the new Bing. Google also opened Bard more widely in late March, allowing people in the US and UK to sign up to try it out. It didn’t take long for Google to expand its AI push into productivity apps, too. It teased some new AI-powered writing and organizing tools for Gmail and Google Docs in March, and we’ll likely hear more at I/O.
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Now, Google is said to be building an entirely new AI-powered search engine, according to The New York Times. The report says the new search engine will be more conversational and offer lists of suggestions based on what it thinks a user wants to buy or search for. Google CEO Sundar Pichai also told the Wall Street Journal that it plans to add more artificial intelligence to Google Search.
If the New York Times report is accurate, we’ll likely hear more about these efforts at Google I/O. Historically, Google I/O has been used to show off its AI prowess and showcase new technologies — even those not ready for prime time.
Last year, for example, it showed off a pair of experimental augmented reality glasses capable of translating language in real time. Google I/O was also the debut venue for Duplex, the company’s telephony assistant.
Google’s history of making AI-related announcements at I/O along with its ongoing competition with Microsoft likely raised expectations that there were big announcements awaiting this year’s conference.
This is critical if Google is to attract enterprise customers, according to Chirag Dekate, a market research analyst and consulting firm Gartner who covers artificial intelligence. According to Dekate, Microsoft has done a better job than Google so far of showing how useful generative AI can be across its products.
“I think (Microsoft) has definitely captured the imagination of corporate leaders,” he said. “I think they’ve given more reasons for companies to look at Microsoft’s portfolio specifically for generative AI than ever before.”
Why is racing AI so important right now?
Companies like Microsoft and Google are moving towards generative AI because it is believed to be the future of how we work and search for information on the Internet – two areas that Microsoft and Google have built their businesses on, respectively.
If the fact that giants like Microsoft, Google, Meta, Snap, and Amazon are all focused on generative AI is somehow not compelling enough, venture capitalists are also pouring tons of money into the space. In the first quarter of 2023, deals related to generative AI generated nearly $1.7 billion, according to PitchBook, a website that provides data on global capital markets.
AI also featured a lot during Alphabet’s recent earnings calls from Microsoft and Google, also suggesting that the technology will play a big role in their future product roadmaps.
If Google misses the generative AI boom, Dickett said, it may not be able to catch up. This could have some serious consequences for Google’s business. Samsung has reportedly considered replacing Google with Bing as the default search engine on its devices, according to The New York Times. According to the report, this would put an estimated $3 billion in annual revenue at stake for Google.
“These moments are few and far between,” Ducati said. “Now is the time for Google to shine if it wants to.”
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