Google's Gemini AI wants to chat, for a price

For the lonely heart that wished the AI in the movie Her was real, Google might have an AI for that. Google's Gemini AI platform was front and center this week at the company's Pixel 9 launch event.

Aside from photo editing features and call summaries, one of the more standout AI capabilities is the opportunity to converse with AI. Hopefully, those conversations will be more productive than Hal's combative responses to 2001: A Space Odyssey's protagonist, Dave.

Gemini Live is ready to chat

Users can choose from several AI voices, with names borrowed from the stars, such as Ursa, Nova or Vega. But having a discussion with the Google Live conversational AI isn't free – it requires a Gemini Advanced subscription for $20 a month. Depending on the version of Pixel 9 smartphone purchased, users will get one year of Gemini Advanced for free.

"Gemini Live, a voice chat version that converses with users, is exclusive to Gemini Advanced, a subscription service for Android devices priced at $20 per month," reported CNET. "Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL buyers get one year of Gemini Advanced with the purchase of their devices."

It's not surprising that Google would want to offload some of the cost of GenAI onto customers. The associated costs of GenAI are "currently much higher than traditional AI approaches," according to research group Omdia.

As of May, Google reported that over 1 million people had signed up to try Gemini Advanced. In addition to the Gemini Live conversation feature, Gemini Advanced can scan documents uploaded to Google Drive or from a user's device to run data analytics – "uncovering insights and building custom visualizations and charts on the fly from uploaded data files like spreadsheets, said Google VP Sissie Hsiao in a blog post.

The Verge explained that users can also access Gemini AI to ask questions about images, search for information in saved screenshots via Pixel Screenshots, and use a text-to-image generator (Pixel Studio). There's an "Add Me" feature to add your always late uncle back into the family reunion photo. Magic Editor in Google Photos can also access Gen AI to replace sections of photos.

Google's AI can also summarize phone calls, notifying those on the call before creating a transcription and summary. To protect privacy, Google said it won't save those calls and summaries to the cloud.

The market for GenAI applications is forecast to grow from $6.2 billion in 2023 to $58.5 billion in 2028, a CAGR of 56%, reported Omdia.

Phone specs and Satellite SOS

Among Google's new devices launched this week are two Pro models – the Pixel 9 Pro (6.3-inch screen) and Pixel 9 Pro XL (6.8-inch screen). Each Pixel 9 model includes the Tensor G4 silicon chip, which is "optimized to run our most advanced AI models," wrote Brian Rakowski, VP of product management for Google, in a blog post. "It will be the first processor to run Gemini Nano with Multimodality — which helps your phone understand text, images and audio." Gemini Nano is a Gen AI tool that processes data on the device, explained CNET.

In an effort to support AI features on the Pixel 9 series, Google also upgraded the memory across its phones, with 12GB of RAM for Pixel 9 and 16GB for Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. These three devices also include improved battery life and a "redesigned oval-shaped camera housing," according to The Verge.

Google's new foldable is the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The Fold is longer and thinner than its predecessor with an exterior screen measuring 6.3 inches and interior screen of 8 inches, said The Verge.

Aside from AI, the Pixel 9 smartphones are the first Android phones to include Google's Satellite SOS. This feature provides users with the ability to contact emergency services via satellite and share their location "regardless of your carrier plan," said Google VP Brian Rakowski in a blog post. Satellite SOS will be available in the US initially and free for the first two years.

Apple launched a satellite messaging service with the iPhone 14 in 2022, reported Light Reading's Mike Dano. Later this year, Apple will "shift its satellite messaging strategy from emergency services to just regular services" with the release of its iOS 18 software platform, scheduled for availability this fall, added Dano.

Pixel 9 smartphones are available for preorder and commercially available on September 4 in the US.