Anika Begay
Suddenly media event this week at its headquarters in Mountain View, California, Google announced four new Pixel phones. But the biggest reveal at the Made By Google event wasn’t the hardware itself, but all the generative AI tools built into the devices.
Most notable are some AI-powered camera features that let Pixel owners easily add themselves to a group photo after they’ve taken it, or completely alter a photo by turning night into day and adding objects that were never actually there. It’s an exploration of our limits: how convincingly technology can bring alternate realities to life, and how much of a computer-generated scenario we can tolerate.
This week on Gadget Lab, WIRED’s Julian Chokkattu, editor-in-chief of reviews, joins the show to talk about Google’s cool new camera tricks. We also talk about Gemini Live, the latest iteration of the company’s AI-powered voice chatbot. Finally, we ask the impossible: Is Google Assistant finally dead, or has it simply been relegated to Google’s attic?
Show notes
Read more about all the new updates from the Made By Google event, including Google’s Pixel camera updates. Learn how the company is using AI to reshape reality. There are some potentially life-saving new features on the Pixel Watch 3. Also read Reece Rogers’ WIRED article on ChatGPT’s enhanced voice mode and Jia Tolentino New Yorker story of teenagers and Sephora.
Recommendations
Julian recommends flip phones. Lauren recommends Colorscience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield Flex SPF 50. Mike recommends the audiobook version of All four by Miranda July. (You can listen to it on Spotify Premium.)
Julian Chokkattu can be found on social media @JulianChokkattu. Lauren Goode is @Lauren Goode. Michael Calore is @snackfight. Shine the main hotline at @Gadget LabThe show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@booneashworth). Our theme music is by Solar Keys.
How to listen
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