Five new AI features announced for the Pixel 9 series, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and Pixel Watch 3

The new Pixel 9 series is here, and it comes with some new AI features.

At its Made by Google event on Tuesday, the tech giant unveiled the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and a new generation of smartwatch, the Pixel Watch 3. Google continues to develop AI tools and features across all of its products, and the Pixel division is no exception.

The Google Pixel 9 lineup comes with Gemini integration, AI photo editing tools, and health and fitness upgrades. The most notable AI features include:

1. Gemini now has voice mode

Gemini is catching up with ChatGPT with its own voice mode. Gemini Live is a new feature that allows Google’s chatbot to respond. Previously, users could send voice messages to Gemini, but the responses were text. Now, Gemini Live can share voice responses.

Like OpenAI’s GPT-4o voice mode, Gemini Live seamlessly engages with users in conversation, adjusting its response accordingly when you interrupt so you don’t have to wait for the initial response to be completed. Additionally, Gemini Live is contextual, so it remembers previous conversations and allows you to pick up where you left off without having to re-explain the original prompt.

Gemini Live is available starting today and is supported on all Pixel 9 devices, but you’ll need to purchase a Gemini Advanced subscription to access it.

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2. AI-powered weather app

The Google Pixel 9 family now comes with an upgraded Weather app that, as you’d expect, has AI capabilities: the native app shows the standard breakdown of the weather by hour and day, but at the top of the screen you’ll see an AI-powered summary of what’s in store for the day.

On a hot summer day when Mashable saw the feature in action, the app displayed a message saying, “It’s hot today, so if you’re going out in the morning, please wear sunscreen.” This doesn’t solve any big problems — it’s easy to see a photo of the sun and clouds and quickly check the daily weather forecast — but for people who rush out the door in the morning and don’t think about the rest of the day, it might be useful to remind them to bring an umbrella or jacket.

3. “Made You Look” is for parents with distractible kids

This one’s for all parents. If you have to jingle your keys or make funny faces to get your kids to look at the camera, the “Made You Look” feature will help. When you take a photo with your phone unfolded, a cute animation will appear on the external display to grab the attention of kids or easily distracted adults. The feature’s AI will then recognize that your subject is smiling and take the photo.

Relying on a screen to get your child’s attention is a bit unsettling. That said, parents use screens to distract their kids, so why not do the opposite? This feature requires an external screen, so it’s exclusive to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

4. With “Add Me” you’ll never be left out of a group photo again

With Google’s “Add Me” feature, group selfies or getting a stranger to take a group photo are no longer your only options. You can now take photos of your friends, get your friends to take photos of you, and combine your solo shots into a group photo.

When Mashable saw a hands-on demo, the results looked pretty convincing: the scale and lighting of each person in the composite image was adjusted appropriately to make it look like a seamless group photo. But it’ll be interesting to see how this works in the real world, and whether users will have to be careful to pose in the exact same place. The “Add Me” feature is available on all Pixel 9 devices.

5. The Pixel Watch 3 will have AI

Pixel Watch 3 is powered by AI. Like other wearables, it is geared towards health and fitness applications. So, naturally, the new AI features on Pixel Watch 3 are focused on these use cases. With a Fitbit Premium subscription, users can get AI-powered personalized running recommendations based on their goals and target cardio load, using Google AI data tracked from past runs. Fitbit Morning Brief also brings together key health and fitness information so you can plan your workout accordingly. If you receive a call during a workout, Google AI can answer or hold the call on your behalf until you finish your workout or pick up your phone.

As mentioned above, most of the AI ​​features require a $9.99/month Fitbit Premium subscription, but the Pixel Watch 2 comes with the first six months of Fitbit Premium free, so we’d love to see Google offer something similar.

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Artificial Intelligence Google