Table of Contents
In a striking moment At a media event this week at its headquarters in Mountain View, California, Google announced four new Pixel phones. But the biggest takeaway at the Made By Google event wasn’t the hardware itself, but all the generative AI tools the devices pack.
Most notable are some AI-powered camera features that let Pixel owners easily add their own image to a group photo after they’ve taken the picture, or alter a photo entirely by changing night to day and adding objects that were never there. It’s an exploration of our limits — how convincingly technology can bring alternate realities to life, and how much of computer-generated landscapes we can tolerate.
This week on Gadget Lab, WIRED’s senior reviews editor Julian Chokkattu joins the show to talk about Google’s fancy new photography tricks. We also discuss Gemini Live, the latest version of the company’s AI-powered voice chatbot. Finally, we ask the unaskable question: Is Google Assistant finally dead, or just banished to Google’s attic?
Program Notes
Read more about all the new updates from the Made By Google event, including updates to the Google Pixel camera. 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 story on ChatGPT’s advanced voice mode and Jia Tolentino’s. New Yorker Story about Tweens and Sephora.
Recommendations
Julian recommends flip phones. Lauren recommends Colorscience Sunforgettable Flex SPF 50 Total Protection Face Shield Sunscreen lotion. Mike recommends the audiobook version of Four legs by Miranda July. (You can listen to it on Spotify Premium.)
You can find Julian Chokkattu on social media @Julian ChokkattuLauren Goode is on @Lauren Goode. Michael Calore is at @snack fight. Bling the main hotline at @Gadget LabThe show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@Boone Ashworth). Our theme music is from Solar keys.
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