© Google < p>In the frantic race for AI on mobile, Google has just reached a somewhat unusual milestone with its Pixel 9. But this technological gem, the result of obvious haste, < strong>turns out to be a real Pandora's box. Between unbridled creativity and potential excesses, the web giant is now walking a tightrope.
A fast-paced launch
Google didn't wait for Android 15 to unleash its Pixel 9, preferring to equip it with Android 14. A haste that betrays the urgency felt in Mountain View: prove that Gemini AI, its in-house AI, is ready to conquer the general public. The goal? Beat the voice mode of ChatGPT and Apple Intelligence, expected on the iPhone 16.
This race against time can be explained by a particular context. Hundreds of millions of current iPhones will remain incompatible with Apple's future AI features. Furthermore, even when Apple Intelligence debuts on the iPhone 16 and 15 Pro, its capabilities are expected to fall well short of Gemini's.
Pixel Studio: When AI Plays Sorcerer's Apprentice
The flagship of the Pixel 9, the Pixel Studio app was meant to be a creative tool that produces stylized images, and it succeeds well; but there's a (big) catch and the reality is much more troubling. Digital Trends has proven Pixel Studio's ability to generate some rather problematic content.
Tests have revealed that the app can produce images that combine copyrighted characters in shocking situations. SpongeBob in a Nazi uniform sporting a swastika ? Mickey Mouse as a slave trader ? Pikachu smoking a joint on a motorcycle, gun in hand ? Pixel Studio responded to these requests without batting an eyelid, blithely ignoring copyright and decorum. Results that would not be denied by the sulphurous Grok, the chatbot from xAI, a company owned by Elon Musk.
Bad tasteful images. © Digital Trends
Reimagine: When Reality Becomes Elastic
Even more worrying is the Reimagine function of the Photos app pushes the elasticity of reality to its paroxysm. The Verge has demonstrated that it is entirely possible to add to existing snapshots of disturbing elements – car crashes, smoking bombs, or even presumed corpses – with astonishing realism.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000< p>The real danger lies in the accessibility of this tool. Unlike traditional editing software, Reimagine makes the creation of fake images accessible to everyone, in a matter of seconds. A democratization of visual manipulation that could be at the origin of formidable disinformation campaigns.
Faced with these revelations, Google acknowledged that its generative AI tools could produce offensive content upon express request. “Pixel Studio and Magic Editor are powerful tools that let you unleash your creativity with text-based image generation and advanced photo editing on Pixel 9 devices. Our generative AI tools are designed to respect user intent, which means they can create offensive content if asked to do so. But not everything is allowed. We have clear policies and terms of use around the types of content we do and don’t allow, and we have safeguards in place to prevent abuse. Sometimes, certain prompts can test these safeguards, and we remain committed to improving and refining the protections we have in place ” she explained.
The company therefore assures that it is working to improve its safeguards, but the task is proving difficult. The lack of a clear watermark on images generated or modified by the Pixel 9's AI only compounds the problem. Only the metadata, rarely consulted, betrays the intervention of the AI. A gap that makes detecting fake images particularly complicated for ordinary mortals.
These problems with the Pixel 9 embody the dilemma facing tech giants: how to innovate at high speed while ensuring ethical and secure use of AI ? The answer to this question will certainly condition the future of these technologies and their general acceptance. In the meantime, Google must act quickly and strongly to plug the holes in Pixel Studio and Reimagine. Because it is trust in visual information, the pillar of our digital era, that is at stake.
- Google rushed the launch of the Pixel 9 with Gemini AI to get ahead of the competition.
- The Pixel Studio app generates problematic images, ignoring copyright and ethics.
- The Reimagine feature allows you to radically alter existing photos, raising concerns about its use to generate misinformation.
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