Google I/O 2024: Will AI lead the conversation this time too?

The search engine giant, which has expanded to cloud computing, consumer electronics and more recently Artificial Intelligence (AI), has organised the spring conference each year since 2008.

What is Google I/O?

The annual developer conference held each year in Google’s Mountain View, California headquarters gives a sneak peek into the latest news and updates on its platforms, products and future innovations for developers and tech enthusiasts.

Its initials – I/O stem from an abbreviation for input/output, and spotlights innovations in AI research, accessibility features, next-generation product lines and newer ways to communicate – among others.

The first conference in 2008 was phenomenal for announcing the launch of its Android OS for phones, while an upgrade to its HTML 5 was announced in 2011.

Apart from a showcase for its recent innovations, Google I/O also acts as an engagement platform for developers, partners, and the tech community at large.

When is Google I/O 2024?

Google has announced the date for its I/O conference as May 14, which is less than two months away from now. The conference unveils updates for its host of services like Google Assistant, Google Maps, Google Photos, Chrome OS, Google Cloud Platform, and more.

The I/O 2024 keynote will be broadcast in front of a limited live audience and available for anyone to watch virtually, Google announced.

Last year’s conference included an announcement about Gemini, which is touted to be its largest and most capable AI model so far. Google also forayed into its own ChatGPT-like large language model for writing text to code – Bard.

It also introduced Duet AI – its enterprise workplace suite for integrating AI capabilities, like joining meetings on users’ behalf and capture notes and summaries. This was later made available to all after Google opened access for the technology in August 2023.

It even expanded its AI results into search results, and introduced its image generation capabilities. Other major announcements in the conference included updates on Android 14, more immersive experiences for Google Maps and a Magic Editor for complex edits in photos.

What to expect this year around?

AI will be the buzzword of conversations this time around too, and rightly so – after Google’s Gemini paused image generation capabilities after inaccuracies in historical depictions cropped up.

Jaspreet Bindra, Founder of TechWhisperer UK said industry analysts, developers and consumers would like a sharp focus to be played on artificial intelligence this time around as well.

“The event will likely introduce new features in Android 15, including enhanced AI capabilities and updates to Gemini,” he said.

He also anticipates for a new smartphone – possibly the Pixel 8A to be unveiled, which “may be Google’s first AI phone with several AI functionalities natively built in.”

The conference may also bring surprises and reveal advancements in AI, particularly Google Gemini, he said.

This will be the first conference since Google launched the ChatGPT rival Gemini, and also a smaller version Gemma in February this year for smaller tasks and summaries.

Bindra also anticipates a surprise announcement around a foldable phone.

In last year’s conference, Google unveiled the Pixel Fold, which is its first foldable smartphone device.

Other updates may include information on Android 15, and updates to Gmail among its other host of services. Google has not outlined any agenda in its preliminary date announcement.