AI inside: Google, Microsoft inject generative AI into their products. Now developers can, too

Our industry has rightfully become obsessed with AI over the past few months, ever since OpenAI released ChatGPT. Using ChatGPT’s simple conversational interface, millions of people have experimented with generative AI to create content and get answers.

Last week, at the annual I/O conference, Google unveiled its vision for practical AI, along with new large language models (LLMs) and Google Cloud APIs. While not a surprise to industry insiders, Google followed Microsoft in providing a clear picture of how we’ll use generative AI in the future. And today.

The big story: Instead of using a new generation of AI apps and chatbots, we’ll find generative AI experiences inside the apps we already use and love. Everywhere.

At I/O, Google leaders demoed an AI text generator in Gmail. A “Help me write” button in Google Docs. An “Immersive View” in Google Maps. A “Magic Editor” in Google Photos. And AI built into Google Search that summarizes answers to questions rather than listing a bunch of links.

This followed Microsoft’s recent AI news — that the software giant has added OpenAI technology to Azure web services and is integrating ChatGPT and generative AI into several flagship products, including Word, Excel, Bing, Edge, and Outlook.

Eventually, casual users may not even notice AI – it’ll be as transparent as any other technology that we use and don’t care to understand. It’ll just do its work behind the scenes, quietly enabling features and capabilities we love.

In other words:

• AI isn’t an app or a product. And it’s not even a feature. It’s a technology.

• Our future generative AI experiences typically won’t start at chat.openai.com, bard.google.com, or bing.microsoft.com.

• Most apps we use or websites we visit will have AI-powered content generation built into them.

• Like “Intel Inside” for hardware, AI will be embedded inside many software packages.

• Most people will eventually stop thinking and talking about generative AI. Just as very few people know about the technology inside the products they use.

So, what does this “AI Inside” vision mean for app developers like ArcTouch? And for the brands and companies we partner with to create lovable experiences on behalf of their customers?

Building AI into apps via APIs

“AI is not only a powerful enabler, it’s also a big platform shift. Every business and organization is thinking about how to drive transformation. That’s why we’re focused on making it easy and scalable for others to innovate with AI.” — Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet

Google and Microsoft are motivated to make their products and services better and smarter by adding their AI technologies to each. However, they are also offering external developers APIs to add AI to existing or new digital products. Digital product builders don’t need to create their own AI because they can license it and add it to their software packages, just as they do with many software components.

This has already spurred industry leaders to build AI-inside experiences. A few examples:

• Snapchat has a built-in text generator that can write poems or any text style upon request.

• Quizlet has created an AI-powered tutor on its learning platform used by millions of students

• Instacart offers an advice chatbot to give people ideas for meal planning.

• Speak provides an AI-powered speaking companion to give feedback to language learners.

ArcTouch developers have already been experimenting with GPT and generative AI to inject new AI-powered features into our clients’ apps and websites. We’ll share more about this early work in a future blog post. And we’re looking forward to test-driving the latest AI technologies announced at Google I/O.

Because the future of AI isn’t just the future. In many ways, it’s ready now. Ready for builders to integrate the technology into existing apps and websites. And as app builders, ArcTouch couldn’t be more excited about creating a new generation of AI-enabled experiences.

Want help injecting AI into your apps?

ArcTouch has been building lovable apps and digital products for a wide variety of platforms for over 15 years. Want to talk about your AI strategy? Contact us for a free consultation.