Google I/O, held on May 10, 2023, is an annual conference held with developers located in San Francisco, California. Updates on the latest technological developments and product launches are announced over the span of the two hour presentation. Some of the most notable developments include the Pixel Fold, Pixel Tablet and Bard as well as exciting features in Google Search, Google Docs, Gmail and Google Maps. 

Google’s first foldable phone, Pixel Fold, was announced with a starting price of $1,799. In its expanded state, it presents a 7.6 inch display, and in its folded state, it presents a 5.8 inch display. Novel mechanics of the device includes the Google Tensor G2 chip, split screen and camera system. G2 allows for fast and secure performance in order to carry out the capabilities available on the Pixel phone, including the ability to multitask through split screens. For example, users can easily access two apps and thus two tasks simultaneously through the taskbar. Use of this feature along with the Live Translator interpreter mode, coming in Fall of 2023, makes it easy for people to traverse through language barriers. Google also highly prizes their high-quality triple rear camera system that can be controlled hands-free through verbal commands and color adjustment technology to make it inclusive for all people of color. 

Pixel Tablet is available for pre-order starting at $499. Consumers can choose from three colors, Porcelain, Hazel, and Rose. Spanning 11 inches, it also uses the same G2 chip as Pixel Fold, but it exclusively features an included charging dock that has a double use as a speaker with room-filling sound enhancement.

Bard was introduced as a competitor to OpenAI’s new and rising Chat GPT that is now available in more than 180 countries in English, Korean and Japanese. Bard, a conversation generative AI, is described by Google as a “creative and helpful collaborator, here to supercharge your imagination, boost your productivity, and bring your ideas to life.” As a rival to ChatGPT, many capabilities are shared, such as allowing users to generate any text from a requested prompt. However, Google AI’s take on chatbots uniquely utilizes Pathways Language Model (PaLM), which is their newest model for improved multilingual, coding and reasoning processes. They are also working closely with Adobe for art generation as a future possibility.

Google Search enables users of the “About This Image” feature to differentiate between authentic, human-produced images and AI generated images. When browsing on the web, people will be able to see suggested next steps where they can ask Google successive questions for more information on the subject through the AI conversational mode. Sidekick, a tool designed to provide better prompts, will be incorporated in Google Docs in hopes of allowing users to access AI suggestions. The “Help Me Write” tool in Gmail introduces the possibility for AI technology to full-on write emails based on data collected from emails received. Google Maps’ update is centered around the inclusion of “Immersive View for Routes,” which combines traffic, bike lanes, intersections and parking into one display for easy access for navigation. Prominent cities, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Tokyo serve as the starting point for this feature, but there are future plans to apply it in different areas. “Live View” enables wandering users to look at a bird’s eye view of their current area with the addition of interactive arrows that is especially helpful in complex, indoor environments.