Google I/O Highlights: Android Steps Up Security with Scam Call Detection and On-Device Gemini AI

 

The Google I/O event began on Tuesday, marking the start of the company's yearly developer conference. During the keynote, notable new features for Android smartphones were unveiled, set to roll out in the upcoming months. 

Surprisingly, Android 15 features were not disclosed during the event. These revelations precede the anticipated major smartphone operating system update expected to launch in the latter part of 2024. Google plans to introduce advanced features driven by artificial intelligence (AI), building upon the progress made with Android 14 last year. 

At the Google I/O keynote, Dave Burke, Google's VP of Engineering, showcased upcoming AI-powered features for Android smartphones. Among the impressive features presented was an enhancement to Circle to Search — the visual search feature exclusive to certain Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel devices. This upgrade will allow students to request assistance with homework using Google's LearnLM technology. 

Users will be able to circle a prompt to solve various problems involving symbolic formulas, diagrams, graphs, and more, with this feature anticipated to launch later this year. Furthermore, Gemini, Google's AI model compatible with Android smartphones, is receiving enhancements. 

Gemini on Android will soon offer information about YouTube videos, allow quick addition of AI-generated images to Gmail and Messages, and enable users to utilize Gemini Advanced for efficient extraction of information from PDF documents without extensive searching through multiple pages, thanks to the new "Ask this PDF" feature. 

Google Pixel smartphones will soon support Gemini Nano with Multimodality, the latest model for on-device AI processing. Besides handling text input, Pixel phones will have the ability to process contextual information such as visuals, audio, and spoken content. 

AI integration extends to Google's basic smartphone app, the Dialler. A demonstration at the Google I/O 2024 keynote illustrated the detection of potential scam calls requesting bank transfers or sensitive banking information over the phone. 

This real-time, on-device feature ensures user privacy protection. Details on the rollout timeline for these features or the supported smartphones, presumably Pixel devices, are yet to be announced by Google. Google TalkBack, the accessibility feature on Android smartphones, will receive further enhancements through Gemini Nano's multimodal capabilities. 

This service will provide visually impaired users with more detailed image descriptions, even for unlabeled images. Google assures that these enhancements will operate on-device, granting users improved functionality even without internet connectivity. 

While a specific launch date for the upgraded Google TalkBack service powered by Gemini Nano with Multimodality remains undisclosed, Google states its arrival is expected "later this year."