Alchemy by Leban Hyde | UX + Branding

I hope your week is off to a good start. When I sit down to write this dispatch, some weeks it can be a hodgepodge of news that I have to cobble together, while other weeks an overall theme arises almost serendipitously. This past week was the latter. Leaning heavily into the “& Beyond” portion of the newsletter title, I’m calling this “the inadvertent AI issue.” Enjoy!

Week 5 (01/28–02/03)

An illustration of two women talking while using the Google Maps mobile app

Samsung… Galaxy AI review, a deeper dive into features (plus an S24 Series review, with video). Circle to Search, Chat Assist, and Live Translate are a few that stand out, supported by on-device or cloud processing depending on the complexity. I had hoped to share an article like this last issue, but I didn’t run across any specific to Galaxy AI.

Google… is experimenting with generative AI in Maps. The feature aims to help users discovery nearby places using large-language models to analyze photos, ratings, and reviews to make suggestions. It will have a limited rollout to Local Guides members for testing (which is actually pretty smart), with no exact date for a public release.

Also Google… appears to be rolling out Assistant with Bard to Pixel phones soon. Gleaned from a demo in the Pixel Tips app, the update will likely be released in the March 2024 Pixel Feature Drop. Elsewhere, Google has also announced news on Gemini Pro in Bard via this blog post and this developer site focused on building with the Gemini API.

Amazon… announced an AI-powered shopping assistant for the mobile app. Named “Rufus,” the feature helps shoppers with finding products, performing product comparisons, and getting recommendations through a chatbot experience. Built to drive purchases, yes, but if it works properly (still early stages), I don’t think users will mind.

Apple… also confirms that generative AI features are in the works. CEO Tim Cook acknowledged an AI future, as the company continues to invest in the technology’s development and integration. But in typical Apple fashion he was stingy on the details only alluding to a bigger announcement later this year.

Say what you will, but with Apple’s name being added to the list of companies continuing their investment in AI, you know it’s here to stay. For better or for worse.

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