Google makes a big move! AI features will land on Pixel 8, investing $20 million to launch the AI acceleration project

Google announced on Thursday that it will soon launch AI-driven features on the Pixel 8, such as recording summaries and smart replies. At the same time, Google also announced a $20 million investment to fund non-profit organizations developing generative AI capabilities.

Gemini Nano to Support More Phones

These mobile AI features will be based on Google's small model Gemini Nano released last year, which can run on mobile devices.

Google stated that the Summerizer in the recorder and smart reply feature in Gboard will be released as a developer preview in the next Pixel feature update. These features were announced at the Pixel 8 launch event last October. So far, Gemini Nano-driven features are only available on Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S24.

"In order to provide different user experiences on phones with different memory specifications, running large language models on mobile devices, we have been testing and validating on Pixel 8. We are excited to provide more enthusiasts and developers with the opportunity to try Gemini Nano, and we hope to receive more feedback and see more innovations," Google said.

Google still primarily uses cloud-based AI-driven features even for mobile devices.

In January of this year, Google introduced the "Circle to Search" feature for some Pixel and Samsung devices. This week, the company announced that more Pixel and Samsung phones, as well as some tablets, will receive the Circle to Search feature. The feature itself will be updated to support real-time translation of content on the screen.

Alphabet's Class A shares fell 0.07% to $150.76 in Thursday's midday trading.

Investing $20 Million to Fund Non-Profit Organizations Developing Generative AI Technology

Meanwhile, Google's charity arm Google.org is launching a new project to fund non-profit organizations developing generative artificial intelligence technology.

The project, called Google.org Accelerator: Generative AI, will be funded with a $20 million grant and will support 21 non-profit organizations, including companies like Quill.org, which creates AI tools for student writing feedback, and the World Bank, which uses generative AI applications to facilitate access to research findings The project lasts for six weeks, and in addition to financial support, participating non-profit organizations will also receive technical training, workshops, mentors, and guidance from "AI coaches." Through Google.org's fellowship program, Google employee teams will work full-time with three non-profit organizations, Tarjimly, Benefits Data Trust, and mRelief, for up to six months to help them launch the proposed generative AI tools.

Among them, Tarjimly aims to use AI for refugee translation, while Benefits Data Trust is using AI to create an assistant to help low-income applicants enroll in public benefits. mRelief is designing a tool to streamline the U.S. SNAP benefits application process.

Annie Lewin, Google.org's Global Advocacy Director, said in a blog post, "Generative AI can help social work teams become more efficient, innovative, and effective in serving communities. Google.org's grant recipients report that AI helps them achieve their goals at nearly half the cost and in one-third of the time."

A survey shows that 73% of non-profit organizations believe AI innovation aligns with their mission, and 75% believe AI makes their lives easier, especially in areas such as donor categorization, daily office tasks, and mission-driven initiatives. However, for non-profit organizations looking to build their own AI solutions or adopt third-party products, cost, resources, and time remain significant barriers.

Lewin referenced a survey by Google.org in the blog post, which also found that while three-quarters of non-profit organizations believe generative AI could be applicable to their work, nearly half of the organizations are currently not using this technology due to a range of internal and external barriers. She said, "[These non-profit organizations] mentioned that a lack of tools, awareness, training, and funding are the biggest obstacles to adoption."

Encouragingly, the number of non-profit startups focusing on AI is gradually increasing.

The non-profit startup platform Fast Forward stated that this year, over one-third of applicants to its latest training platform are AI companies. According to Crunchbase, more broadly, there are dozens of non-profit organizations worldwide dedicated to ethical approaches to AI, such as the AI Ethics Lab AlgorithmWatch, the virtual reading clinic JoyEducation, and the advocacy organization Earth05