Google Anticipates More Advanced LLM to Land on Android Phones Next Year

This internet giant expects its current available Gemini Large Language Model (LLM) to be embedded in devices starting next year. This model competes with Microsoft-supported OpenAI's most powerful GPT-4 AI model.

Google has already launched its most efficient "on-device" AI model, Gemini Nano, on Pixel devices and all other compatible Android devices.

Brian Rakowski, Vice President of Product Management at Google Pixel, expects the company's most advanced large language model, currently only accessible through internet-connected remote data centers, to appear directly on smartphones starting next year.

"We have smaller versions of our Gemini model in the cloud," Rakowski told CNBC. "We have made some breakthroughs in compressing these models to run on devices."

"Some of them have been proven, and some are being explored for certain applications. It would be great if all models could run on devices."

"Gemini Nano's performance has reached the level of our online models a year ago," Rakowski added. "You can do a lot with these streamlined model versions on devices."

A Large Language Model (LLM) is an AI model that can understand and generate language in a way similar to humans. Gemini Ultra is Google's top LLM, with up to 1.56 trillion parameters. In comparison, OpenAI's GPT-4 contains 1.76 trillion parameters.

The Dream of the "Super Cycle" for Smartphones

After experiencing a difficult period of sharp decline in device sales for several years, smartphone manufacturers have been dreaming of an AI-driven "super cycle" to occur. In 2023, smartphone sales dropped to the lowest level in a decade, reaching 1.16 billion units.

Analysts say that due to a lack of sufficiently novel features and innovations in the market to convince users with older smartphones to upgrade, a super cycle is unlikely to occur in the next few years.

"Unfortunately, we don't expect this prosperity to happen," said Francisco Jeronimo, Vice President of Data and Analysis at research firm IDC, to CNBC.

"The last time we saw a super cycle was between 2010 and 2015, when the market grew from about 300 million smartphones per year to 1.5 billion units."

Nevertheless, more and more smartphone manufacturers are making significant investments in artificial intelligence, hoping it will ignite more enthusiasm for mobile technology.

Companies like Humane, Rabbit, and China's Meizu are betting on a future of smartphones that is completely different from traditional smartphones. These devices will be smaller, more compact, and we can interact with them through voice activation, just like using an Amazon Echo speaker, but portable at all times.

Google has been making significant investments in the field of artificial intelligence in an effort to gain more advantages over its competitors.