Google will unveil the Pixel 8 collection subsequent week, and we already know every part concerning the upcoming telephones. It’s not simply because we noticed a backyard number of Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional leaks within the earlier months and that Pixel leaks are nearly all the time appropriate. It’s as a result of an insider received their arms on Google’s official advertising and marketing supplies for the 2 telephones, dumping screenshots on-line of all the data Google will use on its Pixel 8 pages.
That’s how we discovered the complete specs and options of the handset and the way we discovered the Pixel 8 collection will stand up to 7 years of software program updates. Additionally, the wonderful Pixel 8 preorder offers coming your manner subsequent week. No, Google won’t elevate costs considerably.
However within the deluge of Pixel 8 info that dropped on-line previously few days, there was a video that confirmed that Google is using an annoying AI-powered digicam function. Google will allow you to use the Pixel 8 fashions to recollect particular moments out of your life that by no means occurred. That’s doable with a digicam software that Google introduced again in Could referred to as the Magic Editor.
Magic Editor was one of many AI merchandise that Google unveiled at I/O 2023, and I informed you on the time that I already hated it. It’s an growth of the Magic Eraser function that was already bending actuality in photographs by letting you take away objects or individuals ruining your pictures.
Magic Editor will now allow you to change the looks of the sky and transfer issues round in photographs. That’s nicely past what Magic Eraser can do. And it’s incomparable with the edits you’d normally carry out for Instagram functions, the place you would possibly change the lighting, colours, or heat of the picture.
Magic Editor will aid you document pretend photographs of stuff you want occurred that manner however didn’t. Or footage of reminiscences you weren’t fast sufficient to seize once they did occur.
I didn’t suppose it may go worse, however wait till you see how Google will promote the AI photo-altering tech coming to the Pixel 8.
Insider Kamila Wojciechowska and 91mobiles posted a video that demos the assorted digicam options coming to the Pixel 8.
Options like Night time Sight for video, a Video Increase mode for smoother footage, and a video noise remover software are all a part of the Pixel 8 digicam package deal proven within the video. But it surely’s the Magic Editor function that each impresses and annoys me.
Google’s instance features a household taking photographs at a carousel. Unsurprisingly, the image doesn’t come out nicely initially. Make that the photographs — plural. As a result of the Pixel 8 takes a number of imperfect pictures the place the themes aren’t trying on the digicam on the identical time.
Then, AI enables you to mix the pictures so you’ll be able to manually alter the heads of the relations so all of them take a look at the digicam. You’re virtually reducing heads from one picture and pasting them in one other.
That’s unbelievable AI tech at play proper there, and the outcomes must be wonderful. However these outcomes present moments from the previous that by no means occurred. The reminiscence you simply recorded, which you’re about to share with everybody, is a pretend AI creation. And the extra you employ Magic Editor that manner, the extra you’d contribute moderately than assist repair a few of the points with AI: Hallucinations and deceptive info.
Many individuals fear that AI can alter the material of actuality by making customers imagine stuff that isn’t actual. And now Google is making it extremely simple to take pretend photographs utilizing its high-end Pixel 8 telephones. You’ll say the instance above is harmless, and it’s true. But when Magic Editor works that nicely, I’d anticipate others to abuse it in different methods.
I’ll additionally spotlight one other difficulty with the Pixel 8’s reality-altering images powers. If Google encourages you to take pretend photographs, then who is aware of what different distributors would possibly do.
Keep in mind that Samsung has been deceptive Galaxy house owners with its moon images capabilities for years. And the corporate used AI-enhanced imagery to virtually promote the superior evening images of its Galaxy telephones.
Then once more, what Google does with Magic Editor is larger than the Pixel 8 collection. It’s about showcasing its AI powers in a race the place it nonetheless feels prefer it’s trailing OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
To repair the issue it’s creating, Google may robotically mark altered photographs as AI-enhanced and forestall the consumer from eradicating that info. That manner, everybody would recognize Google’s spectacular AI images abilities whereas instantly understanding that the photographs aren’t actual.
