With a sparkling At a media event at its headquarters in Mountain View, California, Google announced four new Pixel phones this week. The most important thing revealed at the Made By Google event, however, wasn’t the hardware itself, but all the generative AI tools built into the devices.
Particularly notable are some AI-powered camera features that allow Pixel owners to easily add their own image to a group photo after the shot, or completely alter a photo by turning night into day and adding objects that were never really there. It’s an exploration of our limits – how convincingly technology can bring alternate realities to life, and how much computer-generated scenery we can stomach.
This week, WIRED’s senior reviews editor Julian Chokkattu joins Gadget Lab to talk about Google’s fancy new photography tricks. We also talk about Gemini Live, the latest version of the company’s AI-powered voice chatbot. And finally, we ask the question that can’t be asked: Is Google Assistant dead for good, or just relegated to Google’s attic?
Show notes
Read 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. The Pixel Watch 3 has some potentially life-saving new features. Also read Reece Rogers’ WIRED story on ChatGPT’s enhanced voice mode and Jia Tolentino’s New Yorkers Story about tweens and Sephora.
Recommendations
Julian recommends flip phones. Lauren recommends Colorscience Sunforgettable Total Protection Face Shield Flex SPF 50 Sunscreen Lotion. Mike recommends the audiobook version of On all fours by Miranda July. (You can listen to it on Spotify Premium.)
Julian Chokkattu can be found on social media at @JulianChokkattu. Lauren Goode is @LaurenGoode. Michael Calore is @snackfight. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab. The show is hosted by Boone Ashworth (@Subscribe). Our theme music is by Solar Keys.
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