You might have noticed a plethora of AI features spilling out across the apps and devices you use every day, with Google's Gemini model helping to lead the charge – and now we've got a big clue about what the next Gemini feature on Android devices might be.
According to Android Authority, the smaller Gemini Nano AI model that's designed to run locally on smartphones is going to get the ability to summarize articles from the web in Chrome – or at least that's the assumption, based on a few signs hidden in Android's code.
This is something Gemini AI can already do, if you're signed up for the experimental Search Generative Experience (SGE) feature in the Google app on your phone. However, Google Nano would do all the processing locally, without talking to the web.
So, for example, if you opened up this article on your Android phone, you'd be able to get a summary of it that was just a few lines long. When it comes to TechRadar, we would of course recommend reading the article in its entirety – but you'd have the option. It's not clear yet when the feature might go live though.
AI everywhere all at once
This should mean better performance on spotty internet connections, as well as less data going to and coming from Google's servers. Right now Gemini Nano is available on the Google Pixel 8 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S24 phones, but we can expect to see it on more handsets in the future.
Gemini Nano already powers features such as the AI summaries of voice recordings you can get in the Pixel Recorder app on the Pixel 8 Pro, and the Magic Compose tool, which gives you some help writing messages on a Galaxy S24 handset.
As the Nano version of Gemini is designed to run on mobile devices, it's smaller and less comprehensive than other variations of the model. That limits its capabilities, but it also means it's more private and can run faster.
We heard plenty about Galaxy AI when the Galaxy S24 phones launched, and there's a lot more to come too: the Google I/O 2024 event on May 14 is bound to be heavily focused on AI, and Apple has promised that iOS 18 will come with plenty of generative AI features too.
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