Google announces plans to introduce Gemini Nano to Pixel 8

Google has confirmed that the generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) model Gemini Nano will be available on the standard version of the Pixel 8 smartphone family in the coming months, with an expected release starting in June. Gemini Nano is the smallest version of Google’s large language models (LLM) and is optimized to run generative AI directly on the device, as it already does on the Pixel 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24 series.

While Gemini Nano will eventually reach more Android devices by the end of the year through AICore, which creates infrastructure to integrate Nano without needing to connect to the cloud, it was previously announced that this AI model would not be available on the Pixel 8 standard model due to hardware limitations. Both the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8 have the Tensor G3 processor, with the main difference being in their RAM memory capacity.

Google’s vice president of devices and software services, Seang Chau, has now confirmed that Gemini Nano will indeed be available on the Pixel 8 in the coming months, potentially starting in June. This announcement was made on the Made by Google Podcast, where new functionalities with Android 14 QPR3 are also expected to be launched.

In the developer preview, the Pixel 8 will have access to features such as ‘Summary’ in the recorder tool and Gboard Smart Reply, providing intelligent responses during conversations. This integration of Gemini Nano on the Pixel 8 signals a step forward in AI technology on mobile devices.