Google is bullish on the prospect of its more advanced artificial intelligence models coming to smartphones in the next year. The internet giant Google expects that its currently available Gemini large language models (LLM), which competes with Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s most powerful GPT-4 AI model, will begin to get embedded into devices starting next year.
Alphabet Inc.’s Google expects its Gemini large language models based on AI to be available on smartphones with the Android operating system in 2025, the company said.
Google’s LLM for android
Google is already offering Gemini Nano, which is the company’s most efficient model for “on-device” AI, across its Pixel devices and on all other capable Android devices.
As per Brian Rakowski, vice president of product management for Google’s Pixel unit, he expects the company’s most advanced large language models, which are currently only accessible via remote data centers via an internet connection, to begin arriving on smartphones directly next year.
As per Rakowski Google’s more advanced large language models is to get embedded into Android devices starting next year.
“There are smaller versions of our Gemini model on the cloud,” said Rakowski. “There’s been quite a few breakthroughs to compress these models to get them to run on device.”
Human–like google large language models
Google’s large language models, or LLMs, are AI models capable of understanding and generating language in a human-like way. Gemini Ultra is Google’s top large language models, clocking in at a whopping 1.56 trillion parameters. For comparison, OpenAI’s GPT-4 consists of 1.76 trillion parameters.
Smartphone market growth
Smartphone makers have been dreaming of a “supercycle” in their industry, driven by artificial intelligence, after a bruising few years that saw device sales slow aggressively. In 2023, smartphone sales fell to 1.16 billion units, the lowest point for unit shipments in a decade.
Analysts say a supercycle is unlikely to occur within the next few years as there’s not enough going on in the market in terms of novel features and innovation that will convince people holding their aging smartphones to upgrade.
“Unfortunately, we don’t expect that boom,” as per Francisco Jeronimo, vice president of data and analytics at research firm IDC.
Future for AI smartphones
Nonetheless, more and more smartphone makers are making big investments in AI in the hope that it will drive some more excitement around mobile technology.
The likes of Humane, Rabbit, and China’s Meizu are betting on a future for smartphones that doesn’t even look like a traditional smartphone. These are devices that would be smaller and more compact. Also we could interact with via voice activation, like an Amazon Echo speaker but on the go.
Google has been making huge bets on AI in an effort to gain an edge over its rivals like OpenAI.
Rebrand of Bard
Google recently announced a major rebrand of Bard, its ChatGPT alternative, including a fresh app and subscription options. Bard was renamed Gemini, the same name as the suite of AI models that power the chatbot.
Android users can download a dedicated Android app for Gemini. While iPhone users can use Gemini in the Google app on iOS.
AI agent
During the January 30 earnings call, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted the firm’s commitment to AI. Pichai said he eventually wants to offer an AI agent that can complete more and more tasks on a user’s behalf. Including within Google Search, although he said there is “a lot of execution ahead.”
Companies like Microsoft, Amazon are working are committed to building AI agents as productivity tools.
