The Google Pixel 8 Pro became official last month as an AI-centric phone, but it is not done getting more powerful features just yet. The flagship Google phone has just received its first update for the integrated AI core app for its system.
Unlike commonly known apps, AI Core will not appear as an icon in the app gallery but is rather meant to be a background service for the phone’s AI processes meant to help apps and other functions. This was first spotted by 9to5Google and it is currently exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro, though other Pixel phones do have a placeholder for the AI core app for the time being. This confirms that Google most likely plans to roll out AI Core for other Pixel phones in the future.
Interestingly, the AI Core app’s Google Play Store listing has mysteriously disappeared but the app store previously described it as an app that “powers features across Android and provides apps with the latest AI models.” This could mean that AI Core is not quite ready for a wider roll-out, but that is just speculation on our part.
That being said, Google has not officially announced what AI Core is or what it does, but the company’s recent launch event shared solid hints about what to expect from it. Google mentioned the Pixel 8 Pro getting its own generative AI model and features that make its Magic Eraser more powerful for Google Photos.
This new update makes perfect sense as nearly all smartphone companies are moving towards AI features, especially the biggest names in the market such as Samsung and Apple. Samsung has recently unveiled Gauss AI for its Galaxy phones, which is essentially the company’s own ChatGPT for smartphones. It will be capable of text generation, image generation, and coding assistance.
There have also been reports on Apple investing heavily into generative AI and looking to introduce it next year with the iPhone 16 lineup. These reports also claim that Apple’s generative AI will be baked into the company’s virtual assistant, Siri.
