Google forges ahead with its next creation of AI technology

SAN FRANCISCO — Google on Wednesday unleashed another wave of artificial intelligence designed to tackle more of the work and thinking done by humans as it tries to remain on the technology’s cutting edge while also trying to fend off regulatory threats to its empire.

The next creation of Google’s AI is being packaged under the Gemini umbrella, which was unveiled a year ago. Google is framing its release of Gemini 2.0 as a springboard for AI agents built to interpret images shown through a smartphone, perform a variety of tedious chores, recall the conversations consumers have with people, assist video game players plot way and even tackle the job of doing online searches.

In a blog post, Google CEO Sundar Pichai predicted the technology contained in Gemini 2.0 will “comprehend more about the globe around you, ponder multiple steps ahead and receive action on your behalf, with your supervision.” It’s a similar objective being pursued by challenging-charging rivals such as OpenAI, with its chatGPT technology, and industry powerhouse such as Microsoft with a variety of similar tools on its Windows software.

A lot of Google’s latest AI technology will initially be confined to test groups and subscribers who pay $20 per month for Gemini Advanced, but some features will be made available through its search engine and mobile apps. Google is planning wider releases next year that will include the technology popping up in its smorgasbord of free products, including its Chrome browser, digital maps and YouTube.

Besides trying to outshine OpenAI and other ambitious startups, Google is also trying to remain a step ahead of Apple as that trendsetting business begins to blend AI into its latest iPhones and other devices. After releasing a software update enabling the first bundle of the iPhone’s “Apple Intelligence” features that spruced up the device’s Siri assistant, another batch of the AI technology came out with a free software update that was also released Wednesday.

Google is pushing forward with its latest AI advances even as the U.S. fairness Department is trying to shatter up the Mountain View, California, business to prevent further abusive practices by its dominant search engine, which was declared an illegal monopoly by a federal judge earlier this year as part of a landmark antitrust case.

Among other things, Gemini 2.0 is supposed to enhance the AI overviews that Google began highlighting in its search results over its traditional listing of the most pertinent links to websites earlier this year in response to AI-powered “respond engines” such as Perplexity.

After the AI overviews initially produced some goofy suggestions, including putting glue on pizza, Google refined the technology to minimize such missteps. Now, business executives are promising things are going to get even better with Gemini 2.0, which Pichai said will be able to engage in more human-like reasoning while solving more advanced math problems and even churn out some computer code. The improvements to AI Overviews will initially only appear to a test spectators before a wider release next year.

The technological upgrade is also supposed to infuse a still-experimental universal AI agent dubbed “assignment Astra,” with even more smarts and versatility, enabling people to have more meaningful and helpful conversations with the technology. In a display of confidence, Google said it will expand the number of people testing assignment Astra without providing any specifics of the throng’s size.

As part of Gemini 2.0, Google is also going to commence testing an extension to Chrome called “assignment Mariner,” which can be turned on to do online searches and sift through the results so people don’t won’t have to bother.

If the U.S. Department of fairness gets its way, Google will be forced to sell or spin off Chrome as part of its punishment for deploying its search engine in ways that stifled competition and potential innovation. Google has ridiculed the fairness Department’s proposal as “overly broad” and vowed to resist any attempt to shatter up the business during federal court hearings scheduled to commence in Washington D.C. next spring.

Even if those proceedings culminate in a court order mandating a breakup, Google could still appeal in a procedure that could receive years to resolve while it continues its AI expansion.

“I can’t wait to view what this next era brings,” Pichai wrote in his blog post, signaling the business doesn’t depend it will be deterred by regulators.