Google takes aim at rivals with hi-tech 3D video calls
Google has launched a host of new artificial intelligence services, including the long-developed video call service that renders participants in 3D, as it attempts to maintain its leading position in the increasingly crowded AI space. The Alphabet-owned company said that the latest version of its flagship generative AI model, Gemini 2.5 Pro, will now support native audio generation and computer use, which can be used to develop apps, it said at its annual I/O conference in California on Tuesday. Google is also adding DeepThink, a new reasoning mode that uses new research techniques that considers "multiple hypotheses" before delivering a response. Chief executive Sundar Pichai teased DeepThink earlier on Tuesday, posting an image of him and Demis Hassabis, the chief executive of DeepMind, which is an AI unit of Alphabet. Google also said that it is rolling out its AI Mode tool – the upgraded version of AI Overviews that allows users to make more complex queries compared to traditional search – on its search engine in the US on Tuesday, powered by Gemini AI. It will add more features and release it in other markets based on initial feedback, further intensifying the fight between generative AI-based search platforms. AI Mode was previously only available to certain users. The company also added a shopping tool on AI Mode, which provides details on more than 50 billion products, its prices and even the ability to virtually try on items such as clothes. AI Overviews, which provides summaries on search results, is now available in more than 200 countries and over 40 languages, including Arabic – marking the first time it has been made available in the Middle East and North Africa. Using AI Overviews in Google Search "is one of the most successful launches" of the company in the past decade, driving about 10 per cent of searches in markets like the US and India, said Liz Reid, a vice president and head of research at Google. Google also unveiled Veo 4 and Imagen 4, its latest generative AI models for video and images, respectively, and Flow, a new tool for filmmaking. It has also expanded access to the music-focused Lyria 2. Its coding assistant, Jules, has been made available on public beta. On the hardware front, the company unveiled Google Beam, the product formerly known as Project Starline – first introduced at I/O 2021 – that has been evolved into a platform that will render video call participants in "realistic 3D from any perspective". It is now available on Google Meet. A workplace version, which has a monitor and six cameras for rendering, will be introduced in collaboration with HP. They will be unveiled at the InfoComm audiovisual exhibition in Florida next month. Meanwhile, Android XR, Google's operating system for smart glasses and headsets, have been upgraded with new features – focused on messaging, photography and directions, among others – and is slated to be rolled out on Samsung's Project Moohan, which Google confirmed will be released "later this year". Project Moohan, the Google-Samsung collaboration, was teased at the latter's Unpacked in January. Hyesoon Jeong, an executive vice president at Samsung Electronics, at that time told The National that the company would not rule out the possibility of it being released in 2026, but said it will be out "when it's ready". The wearable augmented reality device was among a series of upcoming hardware from the Suwon-based company, including the slimmer Galaxy S25 Edge and the Project Moohan XR headset, which was also on display at Unpacked. Google's moves are meant to cater to a "world [that] is responding and adapting [to AI] faster than ever before", Mr Pichai said. "More intelligence is available for everyone, everywhere … what all this progress means is that we're in a new phase of the AI platform shift, where decades of research are now becoming reality for people, businesses and communities all over the world." Google, one of the principal drivers of the AI revolution, unveiled its Gemini platform in 2023 and became one of the leading players in generative AI, rivalling the likes of OpenAI's ChatGPT and Microsoft's Copilot. The generative AI race has since intensified, with many players entering to tap into the potential of the technology that has disrupted businesses and individual users alike. Google and other established Big Tech companies are also trying to fend off the challenge of Chinese AI models, which are lower-priced, or even free in some cases, and are reported to be better. The company did not respond to a request for comment from The National on how Chinese companies are shifting the AI landscape, and if their emergence is having any influence on AI development and costing. Google also introduced a new Google AI Ultra subscription, which includes services such as Gemini – also integrated into the Chrome browser and the Google suite that includes Gmail, documents and videos – Flow, YouTube Premium and 30TB of cloud storage, for $250 a month in the US.
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