Google has already had quite an eventful year, rebranding its AI chatbot from Bard to Gemini and launching several new AI models. At Google I/O, we expect the company to make even more AI announcements and unveil new hardware for the first time this year.
Google sent out invitations to the press, including ZDNET. The annual developer conference will take place May 14-15 at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California. The main event, where Google executives take the stage to unveil the company’s latest hardware and software, will take place on the first day of the conference, at 10 a.m. PDT. Although the invitation does not specify the details of the streaming broadcast, the company can be expected to broadcast the event live on YouTube and on its website.
Developers can register for the event for free on the Google I/O homepage to receive benefits such as email updates and access to on-demand sessions.
AI and smartphone
Google’s description of the event, both on the invitation and on the website, is vague. The invitation says: “Check out Google’s new developer tools and learn how they fuel innovation and improve your workflow for maximum productivity.”
However, given the announcements already made this year, we expect the focal point of the event to be artificial intelligence. At the last edition of the I/O conference, artificial intelligence was also central with major announcements, including two major new language models (PaLM 2 and Gemini), new artificial intelligence features in Android 14, an improved chatbot, and much more.
Likewise, this year you can expect to learn more about new features in Android 15, which will likely include a myriad of new AI capabilities, updates to Gemini (formerly Bard), and perhaps even a new large language model (LLM).
Pixel 8a?
The event will likely also feature new material. If Google follows last year’s precedent, it will unveil a new smartphone, the Pixel 8a. The Pixel 7a, revealed at last year’s event, proved to be an impressive A-series device and mid-range smartphone when reviewed by ZDNET.
Google I/O is known for throwing up surprises, so it’s a good rule of thumb to expect something that no one is talking about. ZDNET will be covering the event, so even if you can’t follow it, you can check the site for the latest updates.
Source: “ZDNet.com”