Google’s latest update for the Pixel 8 Pro includes an update to the AI Core app.
AI Core has been part of Pixel devices since the initial Android 14 update, but this is its first official update.
The update is currently exclusive to Pixel 8 Pro devices and doesn’t seem to be available for the Pixel 8 or older Pixel devices.
You don’t interact with this app directly. It runs mostly in the background and is responsible for various AI-powered features like automatic scene detection for the camera, enhanced Google Assistant responses, and personalized recommendations.
Additionally, AI Core manages on-device AI models that power features like Magic Eraser and Photo Unblur, collecting data and updating models to improve performance.
These enhancements are part of Google’s broader vision for AI in Pixel devices, aiming to eventually embed generative text and image models into devices.
Details about the AI Core app are sparse, with limited information on the Google Play Store. However, the listing does mention that AI Core “powers features across Android and provides apps with the latest AI models.”
This indicates that the app is responsible for keeping the foundation models on the device updated, which in turn provides enhanced AI functionality to other apps.
The models in question may include the Imagen Model Family for image generation and editing, Codey for boosting developer productivity, and Chirp for automatic speech recognition in over 100 languages.
It won’t be long before most smartphones ship with full generative AI capabilities.
