The interview began with the host asking, “Why should anyone start using Google’s AI?” Pichai responded by saying that AI will pretty much touch everything we do.
Further answering the question of why someone should be using Google’s AI, Pichai said that there are multiple reasons to do so.
Using AI to summarise things is going to save time, and now one can even type much more complex questions.
It’s a very deep philosophical conversation.”Similarly, when asked about the future of AI, Pichai said that the world may witness AI that one can talk to or ask for help.
When asked if Google Assistant would fade into the background with Gemini, Pichai said that the right approach was to think that over time Gemini would power Google Assistant.
A day after Elon Musk said that artificial intelligence (AI) will make most jobs optional, Google CEO Sundar Pichai echoed the sentiment, saying that AI will pretty much touch everything we do. The 51-year-old was talking to popular tech YouTuber, Hayls World. In the short interview, Pichai touched upon various aspects of the ongoing AI wave, and how it was important to understand the technology to adopt it. Ever since Google I/O 2024, Pichai has been giving interviews left, right, and centre, asserting Google’s vision for AI.
The interview began with the host asking, “Why should anyone start using Google’s AI?” Pichai responded by saying that AI will pretty much touch everything we do. “It’s more likely to be correct and grounded in reality. You can talk to the AI about how to do better. It’s a very deep philosophical conversation, a bit above my pay grade,” he said.
Pichai expressed that he loves AI and talking about AI. Further answering the question of why someone should be using Google’s AI, Pichai said that there are multiple reasons to do so. He said that AI makes our experience better. Using AI to summarise things is going to save time, and now one can even type much more complex questions. Pichai feels that AI just makes life a bit easier. “That’s the primary way we are putting AI in our products.”
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When asked what makes Google’s Gemini better than ChatGPT, Pichai said that there is more than one reason. The foremost is the way they integrate Google Search and other Google Products. “For example, it can summarise your emails in Gmail, and you can easily send off an email. It’s very well integrated with the rest of your Google products, including YouTube. It’s multimodal, so over time you’ll be able to use voice and point it at things,” he said. The CEO said that at Google, they have built a vast understanding of the world over many years so when they say go from place A to B, it is more likely correct and grounded in reality.
AI consciousness and the future
When asked if there would be a real form of AI consciousness, Pichai said that it is a deep topic that is yet to be fully understood. He said that while we all feel and perceive it, there is a difference between what it means to be a truly conscious AI and an AI that appears conscious. “In the next few years, we will have AI that gives you the semblance of being conscious, and you may not be able to differentiate. But that’s different from it actually being conscious. It’s a very deep philosophical conversation.”
Similarly, when asked about the future of AI, Pichai said that the world may witness AI that one can talk to or ask for help. He feels this AI will be available right at your fingertips. “If you’re in Google Docs and you’re typing something, it corrects your spelling and grammar. AI is going to be like that for pretty much everything you do in your life. You may be getting ready for an interview and talking to the AI about how to do better, and it won’t even seem strange,” he said, adding that we are just at the early stages and that these things are going to progress pretty fast.
When asked if Google Assistant would fade into the background with Gemini, Pichai said that the right approach was to think that over time Gemini would power Google Assistant. He said that they will become the same thing. Pichai also explained how Pixel users were using Gemini. The CEO said that Pixel users sought ideas from Gemini and looked at it as someone to brainstorm with. “I find myself using it for things like “What should I do for Mother’s Day?” or “Is this food gluten-free?”
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Pichai said that with Project Astra it gets easier, as users can simply ask Gemini to look at a food, and ask questions. “People are using it broadly across different types of needs and are becoming more familiar and comfortable with the technology.”
Hope for future
Pichai, who is optimistic about AI and its future, said that he hoped AI is leveraged in a way that it makes lives better. He said that it is visible in the context of an assistant, but also in self-driving cars or better discovering drugs to combat difficult diseases. “You should view it as something more profound than electricity or fire. AI will pretty much touch everything we do and has a lot of potential to make things better. There are pitfalls, and we need to tackle them carefully,” he said.
