I spoke with Google’s Head of Android about the future of AI – and smart glasses are involved

Last week, in the depths of the heart of the mobile global conference, in the space of meetings that were remarkably refined, if temporarily, I could only think about the arrival of the Google system to the Android system. Five years ago, Android mission focused on personal privacy controls and integration of smart homes.

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Now, amid the towering Android statues, Gemini balloons, and miniature characters from the shelves of books, the narration decisively turned towards combining the acting experiences in every aspect of almost the mobile experience.

In the midst of this development, Samir Samat, president of Android, who carved the generous time during the chaos of the conference to discuss video capabilities and screen sharing in the actual time in Gemini Live-covered by the Deepminth Astra- and what they reveal the future of Android that is driven by artificial intelligence.

Video features and new screen for Gemini Live

The enthusiasm of the new Gemini Live has been clear from the moment we started discussing updates, even if he praised the marketing team of the size to search last year. “We did not use the word artificial intelligence once.” “It was the case, here is what you can do with and how to help you.” Samat plans to continue broadcasting the benefits of new Android features instead of the simple truth that artificial intelligence leads many of them.

The new in Gemini Live is the ability to direct the smartphone camera to anything and discuss it immediately. At one point at the conference, I was transferred to a private room in Android Avenue, where a ceramic vase sat on a table next to several colored samples. In the conversation, Gemini Live managed to help identify the colors that will better match the empty vase through audio information with direct video of the camera on the Pixel 9 Pro XL.

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Gemini Live will also be able to recognize the content of the screen sharing and participate in contextual conversations about what it sees. Samat depicts someone hunting online prices for a new car and using Gemini Live to say, “Hey, what is the average price of all things that we just looked at?” Gemini Live and then the average cost of each vehicle can browse during the session.

ASTRA project comes to the smartphone first

It is important, these capabilities stem from the Deepmind ASTRA project, a research initiative to develop “AI Global Assistant” that addresses sound, visual and environmental context simultaneously. After Project ASTRA experienced directly on the Google campus last December, these new features immediately brought me back to the strength and capabilities I enjoyed in my illustration.

Samat admitted that although these features coming to the smartphone are exciting, they only scratch the surface of what is possible. “Gemini with the capabilities of ASTRA integrated with it, the place where we are on the phone, somewhat really foretells of what is possible on glasses.”

Imagine overcoming an engineering textbook, explaining Samat, and asking Gemini to remember a scheme that appears on the pages. Later, as soon as it is time to solve a problem, Gemini is to refer to the knowledge of the graph he saw earlier. “It can help you start working through problems. This is very cool.”

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This context knowledge window is a major element in the strength and promise of these new multimedia features in Live Gemini. However, the trick remembers benefiting from technology before that moment so that it can notice those details surrounding in the first place.

Samat agrees that this smoothness is a major challenge to the promise of this technology at the present time. “The things you feel that the most magic is the most smooth.” “We are all trying to reach it and work hard in it.”

Balance of innovation and consumer confidence

Our conversations are the focus of contradiction between the major industry bets on artificial intelligence, consumer preparation and acceptance. When I wandered in MWC halls, I noticed that the strategic importance of artificial intelligence signal by almost every company on Earth.

This contradicts the general feeling of those present and consumers that these features and products are not desirable, useful or safe as the industry wants to believe them. “One of the big things we have to do as an industry with consumers to build confidence is to talk about benefits,” Samat notes, “not only technology.”

Samat also refers to a contract of Google of experience through augmented reality and the emergence of Google Glass in 2013, as a pivotal examples of how to deal with this growing technology in a way that addresses privacy concerns for its users. “We are trying to move, what our CEO calls, in a bold but responsible way about this,” note Samat. “We want technology, but we want to make sure that we are doing it in a deliberate way.”

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This may mean sometimes that although Google may prepare to take advantage of being an early driver, as was the case with Google Glass, the company may instead choose to spend its time. “This means sometimes that we will not always be the first to do anything even if we have this ability.”

Thinking about modern smart glasses, Samat suggests that the leading Google business in the wearable devices played an important role in shaping the level of industry in alerting passers -by when a camera is recorded on glasses.

“Many of these experiences help us understand that you need to be transparent with people about what is going on.” When it comes to privacy, Swat says that the company continues to look deeply in keeping its users comfortable and protected to participate soon.

Will the agents make Eclipse applications?

The appearance of artificial intelligence agents on smartphones, such as Google’s Gemini 2.0, which enhances features such as Gemini Live and Project ASTRA, sparked fears among some developers that their applications may be marginalized in the march towards work.

When asked how Samat codified Google’s progress in agents through her long relationship with third -party developers, he quickly admits, “I am optimistic about this. I think it will be a partnership as these things will work together.”

Samat admits the vital service that third -party applications bring to the Android ecosystem and sees it as an experience of more than one -purpose application programming interface. It also resembles artificial intelligence agents for personal assistants. “If we have both the assistant,” Samat indicated, “they will use some of these services and help you use some of these services in the right way.

I don’t think they will replace these services. In this sense, Samat agents see the devices as ways to accomplish more of these things instead of completely replacing these things.

The final goal

When our discussion ended, I asked Samat how to imagine the list of artificial intelligence develops over the next few years. Samat did not make any bones on the importance of this moment in artificial intelligence to Google, wider more widely, the entire industry. “Artificial intelligence is a very important technique,” said Samat. “It is a major transformation like a mobile phone, and it is a major transformation like personal computing.”

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Samat sees this moment an opportunity to clarify consumers and developers. What are the benefits of artificial intelligence in how we use technology today. “I think we all have to talk more about these benefits and make these benefits a reality.”

In talking about these benefits, Sibat repeated the importance of “artificial intelligence” to take a back seat of what technology can do for consumers. “Consumers just want to know if these things can help them really accomplish things.” If the Samat team succeeds, the greatest support comes from users with the benefits of artificial intelligence without realizing it.