The AI gadgets that were supposed to save us from our phones arrived woefully inadequate. Whatever illusions we had that a Humane AI pin or a Rabbit R1 would ease the constant burn of dealing with our personal problems, the technology is gone. Hot gadget spring is over and developer season is upon us, starting this Tuesday at Google I/O.
It's also a pivotal time for Android. I/O comes on the heels of a major reorganization that brought together the Android and Google hardware teams for the first time. Instructions are clear. It's about moving forward full speed ahead and putting more AI into more things. Disfavoring Google's own products has been a guiding principle of Android, but that model started changing a few years ago as hardware and software teams worked more closely together. Now, that wall has disappeared and the era of AI has arrived. If the past 12 months are any indication, things are going to get a little trickier.
Gemini launched a little over three months ago as an AI-powered alternative to the standard Google Assistant, but it still didn't feel quite ready. The first day I couldn't access my calendar or set reminders, which wasn't very helpful. Google has since added these features, but third-party media apps like Spotify still don't support it. Google Assistant has been supporting his Spotify for most of the past decade.
But the more I go back to Gemini, the more I see how the way I use my phone changes. It memorizes dinner recipes and explains the steps as you cook. It understands that I'm asking the wrong question and instead tells me the answer to the question I'm looking for (as I learned, figs are fruits that contain parts of dead wasps. Yes, but not dates). For Pete's sake, I'll tell you which Paw Patrol toys I have.
Once again, it's a party trick. Gemini's real utility comes when it can be more easily integrated across the Android ecosystem. That's when it's built into your earphones, your watch, and even the very operating system itself.
Android's success in the AI era is based on these integrations. ChatGPT doesn't allow you to read emails and calendars as easily as Gemini. You don't have easy access to the history of every place you've been to in the past 10 years. These are real benefits, and Google needs every advantage right now. We've seen plenty of signs that Apple plans to unveil a smarter Siri at this year's WWDC. Microsoft and OpenAI aren't quiet either. Google needs to leverage that advantage to deliver AI that's more than a party trick, even if it's un-Android-like.