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Google’s I/O event is less than two days away, and a new CNBC report might have just revealed some of the major AI-focused updates to be announced at the show.
One big component will be a new large language model (LLM), PaLM 2, which CNBC describes as a “general-use” LLM that is Google’s “most recent and advanced.” The LLM has apparently performed “a broad range of coding and math tests as well as creative writing tests and analysis,” according to CNBC, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Google show off some of those capabilities onstage. (The first PaLM was announced in April 2022, months before the recent AI boom fueled by applications like ChatGPT.)
CNBC reports that Google will also announce “generative experiences” for search and Bard, its AI-powered chatbot it launched as an experiment in March, including expanding Bard to Japanese and Korean languages. Right now, Bard is only available in the US and the UK.
Google will also reveal more Workspace-focused AI tools, including “discussing template generation in Sheets and image generation in its Slides and Meet products,” CNBC says. The company announced AI features for Gmail and Docs in March but launched them first with “trusted testers,” so we’ll have to wait and see if these new features remain limited or will be available more widely.
Google didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. But it’s not too surprising that the company might make a big AI splash at Google I/O. With the rise of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s own aggressive AI efforts, Google has recently put AI front and center with almost everything it does and even made massive organizational shifts intended to further push forward its AI work.
But I/O won’t only be focused on AI. The company has already announced the Pixel Fold and promised to share more about it at the event. A now-removed Amazon listing revealed a slate of details about the Pixel Tablet, leading me to believe it’ll be at the show. And we’ve seen Pixel 7A leaks for weeks, including a hands-on all the way back in March.
I/O promises to be a jam-packed show, and the fun begins at 1PM ET on Wednesday, May 10th.
