GoKawiilThe AI Sandbox demo area at Google I/O Radhika Rajkumar/ZDNET
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ZDNET's key takeaways
Google's many new AI features span multiple interfaces.
Discreet features took the place of overall upgrades to Gemini.
Multiple single-function touchpoints could get confusing.
At this point in the AI race, most AI labs have figured out that the real money lies in enterprise use cases: big, agentic features that significantly impact the way major companies move and work. Google is one of those labs, which could explain why many of the company's more consumer-forward AI features unveiled at I/O on Tuesday feel somewhat ... underwhelming.
Also: Google's new Omni AI tool will let you video clone yourself - I'm intrigued (and concerned)
Not just that, but they're oddly disparate across the already multilayered Gemini landscape. This I/O in particular was a chance for Google to make everyday AI appeal to users, especially those skeptical of how hard the company is pushing it. While these new features do offer some conveniences, Google has packaged them in ways that could undermine their relevance and usability.
Many separate Lives
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