Hey,

Ever feel like your phone is reading your mind?

You’re not the only one.

Artificial intelligence is all around us, but maybe not where you’d expect it.

Forget all the hype around chatbots for a moment. While everyone is scrambling to see who will be king of the AI world, Google is playing its own game. And it’s a pretty smart one.

Just so we’re clear: on one hand, you have OpenAI with their super popular ChatGPT. Then there’s Microsoft, stuffing its “Copilot” into every office program. And of course, Meta, trying to weave AI into Instagram and WhatsApp. They’re all building shiny new islands and inviting you to visit.

And then there’s Google.

Just think about it. They don’t need to convince you to download a new app to try their latest AI. You’re already using all their stuff anyway. Search, Gmail, Android, Maps, Photos—it’s practically the foundation of our digital lives. And that’s exactly where they’re injecting their AI.

Take the Magic Eraser in Google Photos, which removes that annoying person from your vacation pic with a single click. Or those quick summaries at the top of a search, so you don’t have to open ten different websites.

This is all part of their grand plan: they’ve united everything under the Gemini brand. What used to be Bard is now Gemini, a smart AI that’s slowly even taking over the role of the Google Assistant on Android. They’re not just building a single chatbot; they’re embedding their smarts into everything they offer, making things simply better.

Want to test it out?

Here are a few free Google AI toys you can play with:

• Chat with ​Gemini​: Jump over to ​gemini​ and try Google’s answer to ChatGPT. It can help you with ideas, writing, planning a trip, or you can just ask it whatever comes to mind. It’s a great way to see what their latest models can do.
• Let ​NotebookLM​ summarize a video for you: This tool can already analyze documents, but now it understands videos too. Give it a YouTube link, and it will create a summary, a mind map, and even a full transcript. It’s like having a personal assistant who watches boring lectures for you and just gives you the highlights.
• Create a custom kids’ book with ​Storybook​: Imagine creating a personalized children’s story in an instant, complete with illustrations and narration. This tool lets you do just that. For example, I took a picture of my kid’s stuffed toys, a panda and a lynx, and wrote: “Inspiring story about my kid’s toys panda and lynx.” I wrote it in English because the “Listen” option doesn’t work well in Slovenian. Use descriptions or themes that you know mean something to your child.
• Peek behind the curtain with ​AI Studio​: If you’re at all interested in tech, check out ​aistudio.google.com​. It’s their “sandbox” where you can play with the same AI models that power Google’s products. You can give it different commands and see what it comes back with.
• Use Magic Eraser in Google Photos: Got a great photo that’s ruined by someone in the background? Open Google Photos, select the picture, go to “Edit,” and find “Magic Eraser.” Most of the time, it will suggest what to remove on its own, but you can also circle what’s bothering you.
• It finds you answers, not just links: You’ve probably already noticed this. When you search for something on Google, it often shows a short summary of the answer at the top. That’s the AI saving you from clicking through links, though it still offers them if you want to dig deeper.

Google Storybook

So, what’s next?

This is all just the beginning. Google is already showing that Gemini is going to get even smarter. Imagine pointing your camera at something and having the AI help you solve a problem in real-time, or your phone becoming a true personal assistant that understands what you’re doing on the screen and offers help before you even ask for it.

So, why does this matter?

Others are opening new, shiny amusement parks and hoping you’ll buy a ticket. Meanwhile, Google is just upgrading your home playground…

And that’s their strength. They’re not just trying to build the smartest AI in the world. Their goal is to make AI such a natural part of your daily life that you don’t even notice it—you’ll just notice that everything works easier and better. Test it out and let me know if you find any of this useful or if there’s anything else you’d like to learn more about. I’ll write back.

Talk soon,

Primož