Google Cloud Next 2024: A Recap Of Everything You Need To Know

Google Cloud Next 2024, held in Las Vegas, showcased a plethora of new and exciting cloud-focused announcements. From AI-powered chatbots to advancements in devops and security, Google demonstrated its ongoing commitment to innovation. Missed the opportunity to watch the full archive of Google's keynote event? Don't worry, we have summarized the most important parts of it below.

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Google Vids

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Google introduced a new addition to the Google Workspace called Google Vids. This AI-powered video creation tool allows users to make videos alongside other Workspace tools like Docs and Sheets. With features like real-time collaboration, editing, writing, and production, Google Vids aims to revolutionize the way creative content is developed.

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Google's introduction of Vids, an AI-powered video creation app, is set to revolutionize the way professionals create and present slide presentations. Designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind, Vids offers a user-friendly interface where users can effortlessly build presentations using a straightforward left-to-right timeline. This intuitive design allows for the seamless integration of various elements from Google Drive, making the creation process both smooth and cohesive.

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Key Features of Google Vids

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Integration with Google Drive: Users can easily insert documents, spreadsheets, and other content from Google Drive into their presentations, ensuring a cohesive and streamlined workflow.

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Voiceover and Footage Addition: Vids enable users to add a personal touch to their presentations by incorporating voiceovers or footage of themselves speaking, enhancing the overall impact and engagement of the presentation.

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AI-Powered Script and Storyboard Creation: Leveraging Google's Gemini AI, Vids offers the capability to generate scripts and build storyboards automatically, saving time and fostering creativity.

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Text-to-Speech Functionality: The integration of text-to-speech technology allows the AI to narrate scripts out loud, providing a dynamic and interactive presentation experience.

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Access to Stock Footage and Image Creation: Users can enhance their presentations with a rich library of stock footage or utilize the AI to create custom images, adding visual appeal and relevance to their content.

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Currently, Vids is in a testing phase and is available to a select group of workspace users. This limited testing is crucial for refining the app's features and ensuring a seamless user experience. Google plans to expand access to Vids with a more open beta version slated for release in the summer. As the app becomes more widely available, users can expect to see a noticeable increase in presentations that showcase the sophisticated capabilities of AI-generated content.

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Imagen 2: Enhanced Image-Generating Tool

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Imagen 2, now generally available, is an enhanced image-generating tool focused on enterprise needs. It offers new capabilities like inpainting, outpainting, and "text-to-live images," allowing the creation of short, four-second videos from text prompts.

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Enhancements in Google Workspace

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Google Workspace introduced several new features:

- Voice prompts for the AI-based "Help me write" feature in Gmail.

- Instant transformation of rough email drafts into polished emails.

- Customizable alerts in Sheets when a certain field changes.

- New templates for easier spreadsheet creation.

- Support for tabs in Docs to organize information efficiently.

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Gemini 1.5 Pro

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Gemini 1.5 Pro, Google's most capable generative AI model, is now available in public preview on Vertex AI. It can process between 128,000 and 1 million tokens, allowing for a wide range of applications, from analyzing code libraries to holding long conversations with a chatbot. It allows for the creation of generative AI-powered conversational agents with a process called "grounding," ensuring answers are tied to reliable sources like Google Search.

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Gemini Code Assist is an enterprise-focused AI code completion and assistance tool. It's a direct competitor to GitHub’s Copilot Enterprise, offering a similar service to Google's previously offered Duet AI. This tool aims to streamline the development process for developers. Gemini in Databases is a collection of AI-powered, developer-focused tools for Google Cloud customers. It aims to simplify all aspects of the database journey, from creation to monitoring and migration.

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Monetization of AI Features

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Google plans to monetize two new AI features in Google Workspace with $10/month/user add-on packages. One package focuses on AI meetings and messaging, while the other is aimed at AI security, enhancing the security of Google Workspace content.

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Focus on Data Sovereignty

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Google is renewing its focus on cloud sovereignties through partnerships, shifting from building them independently.

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AI-Enhanced Security Tools

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Google introduced new AI-powered security tools for large companies, including Threat Intelligence, Chronicle, and the Security Command Centre. These tools aim to enhance cybersecurity investigations and threat management.

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Chrome Enterprise Premium

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Google expanded its Chrome Enterprise suite with Chrome Enterprise Premium, focusing mainly on enhancing security capabilities. This reflects the increasing importance of browsers as endpoints for high-value work.

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Google Cloud Next 2024 showcased Google's commitment to innovation and its focus on AI-powered solutions across various domains. From enhancing video creation and coding assistance to improving security and data sovereignty, Google continues to push the boundaries of cloud technology.