Google's Gemini Surpasses Apple in AI Features

Google has taken a notable lead over Apple in the race for advanced artificial intelligence capabilities. The tech community had speculated this development amid reports of delays in some of Apple’s ambitious AI features and significant changes in the leadership of Siri. Now, Google is introducing enhanced contextual features to its Gemini AI on certain Android devices.

This week, Google confirmed the rollout of new camera capabilities powered by Project Astra within Gemini. This functionality is available for users subscribed to Gemini Advanced and those on the Google One AI Premium plan. With these features, users can share their screens as if broadcasting to a class or utilize the live camera to get insights from Gemini about their surroundings. For instance, Google illustrates how users can take Gemini shopping by helping them choose tiles in a store.

Currently, reports from users accessing these features are limited, which may suggest the rollout is not widespread yet. Notably, one user on Reddit reported using these features on a Xiaomi smartphone, not a Google Pixel device. Additionally, sources like 9to5Google have shown Gemini's screen-sharing capabilities in action, featuring it in a video on YouTube.

Gemini's new ability to "see" the world offers it a competitive advantage. Apple's AI, known as Visual Intelligence, uses the camera to recognize objects and text, but its current implementation is relatively basic. Unlike Gemini, it does not engage in conversations or provide feedback about colors, for example, which is highlighted in Google's demonstrations. How Google continues to refine these features will be interesting to observe, especially as it could further emphasize Apple’s delay in similar capabilities.

I had the chance to experience Project Astra during Google’s annual developer conference last year, but the functionality did not impress me significantly at that time. However, it is quite noteworthy that Google has advanced its AI's camera capabilities within less than a year of its introduction, particularly in light of Apple's apparent difficulties with similar features.

I'm eager for the live video and screen-sharing functionalities to be available on my Pixel 9 Pro, as I am curious about how I can incorporate these new tools into my daily life. Although Google has not disclosed a complete list of devices receiving these features, users are encouraged to check their Pixel or Samsung Galaxy phones in the upcoming weeks.

AI, Google, Gemini