Google’s Annual Developer Conference, 2017 Google I/O, will explain the cloud growth ambitions of the company. As per the code labs list at 2017 Google I/O, it is confirmed that the topics will be on ads, accessibility, Android devices, Firebase, IoT, Android, location and maps, AI and machine learning, Flutter, Google Play, mobile webs, virtual reality, and Google Assistant.
When the conference kicks off tomorrow, Wednesday, May 17, expect everyone to rave about the latest efforts of Google on artificial intelligence.
Google is known to invest huge amounts of money into AI as it is passionate about the industry. The company even injected it into almost everything from chat apps, search results to Google Home speaker and Google Assistant. On recent public interviews and company earnings calls, Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, sounded very sure about AI prospects.
There’s more to it, however. Because even within the company, AI is seen as the next major platform right next to Android and search. Google even wants developers to get their hands into it as early and frequently as possible.
During last year’s I/O, the company gave us the first look at Google Home speaker and Allo, Google’s messaging app. Because Assistant has been worked on by Google engineers for quite a while already, it matured and grew into devices like Samsung’s Galaxy S8. This means you can expect Google to encourage developers in building for the platform.
You will find this similar to third-party “skills,” which are part of Amazon’s Alexa. Alexa lets you do almost everything from ordering a pizza, to playing games, and even booking travel tickets. The ambition of Google is to build a platform based on voice control and AI. The speech on Wednesday will definitely be about how developers should be excited about the new prospect.
Also, it is to be expected that Google will announce the integration of Assistant to iPhone, as well as third-party appliances including GE home appliances.
Amazon already got a head start with Alexa as it’s showing up on myriads of third-party devices and even cars. This means the stakes are big for Google. Alexa also has numerous third-party skills. As for Microsoft, it is currently working on expanding the Cortana assistant. The company also reported connected speakers from HP and Harman Kardon that will become available later this year.
Still, Google considers the AI to be in its early stages. Everyone is still in the works of developing the best ways to grow their own AI platforms that will eventually turn into real businesses.
The cloud platform of Google won’t be absent during the event. However, it is expected that Google will make a huge announcement regarding cloud machine learning. What’s more, Firebase, a cloud development platform, will be getting lots of attention. The platform fits the audience of I/O as it’s a unified web and mobile development platform which simplifies back-end cloud integration that app developers can use. Firebase delivers fast deployment and development efficiency which address a massive, well-defined subject: real-time data syncing across web and mobile platforms.
