Google Changes Company Vision to “AI-first” and Announces Google.ai

Not to take attention away from today’s article, but Rob Pope, our awesome CTO and Co-founder, is speaking in Palo Alto this week. Hear his insights and more at the Smart Home Summit on November 15 and 16. If you’re a developer based in San Francisco, or you simply just love AI and IoT, you won’t want to miss this.

Google — advertising technology mogul, pioneer of search engines, and now an AI-first company. CEO Sundar Pichai recently announced this change in company vision. The company will now focus on contextual information, machine learning, and improving user experience with intelligent technology. During the Google I/O 2017 keynote, Pichai also introduced a new initiative: Google.ai.

A Sign of the Times

While the company’s self-proclaimed vision was once “mobile-first,” Google’s new, public foray into AI marks an important milestone in the AI revolution. Corporations and advertising giants have the money and computing power necessary to create entire departments of AI, machine learning, and data science experts.

Putting in the investment now will elevate these companies to become experts and pioneers in their respective and chosen fields. If Google wants to use AI to improve its advertising technology, it will pave the path that almost every other advertising technology company follows after it. That is both some serious power and responsibility.

A Long Time Coming

Google.ai is the company’s applied AI engine, working on research and TensorFlow, among other things. TensorFlow is an open-source Python library and toolkit for developing machine learning applications. Android Oreo ships with TensorFlow Lite, enabling app developers all over the world to create machine learning applications. This is a great way for Android app developers to dip their feet in AI app development.

We can’t be surprised that Google’s evolving into an AI-first company. After all, it established its Google Brain division in 2011 and consistently rolls out AI improvements to its search and advertising platforms. And the company’s been hard at work acquiring domestic and foreign AI startups, leading the other tech giants watching closely and following in its footsteps.

AI for All

By creating an open-source technology like TensorFlow and encouraging innovation from any developer, Google is almost holding a lottery for the next big idea.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a mobile app developer in London or Houston. Google (and the world) needs you!