Google Pixel 8: 5 new AI features that may wow you

Artificial Intelligence (AI) was all the rage at the highly anticipated Google Pixel event on Wednesday. It's giving us AI improvements across the Pixel Buds Pro, Google Home, the Pixel Watch 2, and FitBit. It seems that Google is sure AI is the way of the future.

So it should come as no surprise that AI also slipped its way into the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones.

1. Magic Editor

The Magic Editor, which was announced earlier this year, uses generative AI to help users edit, from resizing to repositioning a subject. For example, in the images below, you can use Magic Editor to move the woman inside the yellow tent closer to the group.

See the image below to see one of the outcomes of using Magic Editor Credit: Googe

It can even change background lighting. However, as Google said in a blog post, the Magic Editor is in "its early stages," so there may still be some kinks to work out.

See the image above to see the 'before' version of this Magic Editor photo. Credit: Google

2. Zoom Enhance

The Pixel 8 Pro will have Zoom Enhance, which uses generative AI to make your zoom look even more realistic by filling gaps between pixels with predictive details. In other words, if you take a blurry zoomed-in photo, the Zoom Enhance feature can fix it for you.

3. Recorder 

Of course, Google didn't stop at just photos — it's also improving the Recorder app by using generative AI. The Pixel 8 Pro will come with a Recorder app that can automatically summarize your conversation and send you a few important bullet points. This feature won't be out until later this year.

4. Audio Magic Eraser

Audio Magic Eraser Credit: Google

Audio Magic Eraser is a new feature that lets you remove any extraneous, unwanted sounds from your videos. It can identify the sounds by sorting them into different categories: Speech, Crowd, Noise, Wind and Music. As such, you can choose to get rid of the drone of a noisy conversation behind you (i.e., you can tap on "Crowd") or an unwanted whistle during inclement weather (e.g., you can tap on "Wind").

5. "Assistant with Bard"

Assistant with Bard Credit: Google

Google Assistant is now incorporating some of Bard's AI smarts. It's called "Assistant with Bard." This is a new generative-AI personal assistant that is rolling out to Android and iOS mobile devices. Unlike Google Assistant and Bard, it's multimodal. This means you can use text, voice, or images to interact with it. To read more on "Assistant with Bard," click here.

Google Tensor G3 chip Credit: Google

Most of these AI features are, in part, supported by the new-and-improved Google Tensor G3 chip. The Google Tensor G3 chip has updated AI capabilities, thanks to the enhanced TPU, an on-device AI engine. It’s custom designed to run Google’s AI models seamlessly and smoothly on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.