The Pixel 9 is Google’s biggest attack on the iPhone so far. Google is taking advantage of two Apple weaknesses that are immediately apparent.
First, Apple Intelligence is late to the game, and it’s not even going to be released next month. Apple’s AI will come to the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 Pros via an iOS 18.1 update that will be available sometime down the road.
More importantly, the overwhelming majority of iPhone models will not support Apple Intelligence. Unless you have an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, you can’t use Apple’s new iPhone AI unless you upgrade your older iPhone to a new iPhone 16 model.
This creates the perfect storm, and Google thinks the Pixel 9 can exploit it. That’s why the Pixel 9 was released ahead of schedule in August, with Android 15 not even getting a name-check at the launch event.
Also, Google made sure all of its existing Gemini AI features were ready for the Pixel 9, including new image generation capabilities that turned out to be incredible in real-life testing. They’re so good that I already think Google has a Pixel 9 AI problem to fix. And I really hope that Apple doesn’t have the same problem with the iPhone 16 phones coming in September.
I already wasn’t a fan of what Google was doing with its Magic Editor on Android. But Google took things to a new level with the Reimagine feature. As Pixel 9 reviews have shown, the latest Google phones make it very easy to insert all sorts of objects in images.
That sounds very cool until you realize how easy it is for the Average Joe With Malicious Intentions to create imagery that can manipulate public opinion.
Sure, you could always create such images with photo editing software like Photoshop before the Pixel 9. But it took a lot more training and time to do it. Now, you can develop fake images in real-time without any training. You just have to tell Gemini AI what you want, and it’ll deliver in a few seconds. Once that’s done, the fake images can be easily disseminated online.
People at the receiving end of these AI-made Pixel 9 photos will not always be able to tell that the content they received is fake. The AI-generated images do not have clear markings to inform the user. And I’m sure those markings could be removed with ease.
I’ll remind you that I’ve used similar photo-editing features on the Galaxy Z Flip 6. The Fold 6 has the same AI capabilities as the new Flip. You can create convincing fakes with Galaxy AI as well. It’s not just Google that’s doing it.
But the Pixel 9’s image-generation ability is the talk of the town right now. People are worried the Pixel 9 can help ruin the internet, and rightly so. We’ll have to question everything, especially if Google is successful and sells a boatload of Pixel 9 units. Again, that’s the point of launching the Pixel 9 phones so early.
Back to Apple, the iPhone maker refrained from matching most Magic Editor features with Apple Intelligence. You can remove people and objects from photos, but that’s all Apple showed at WWDC. I appreciated it at the time.
I’d expect Apple to show off a few new Apple Intelligence features during the iPhone 16 event. These features might be exclusive to the iPhone 16, as Apple AI will likely be a big selling point.
It’ll be interesting to see if Apple engages in this particular fight with Google, Samsung, and other smartphone vendors. That is if Apple makes it equally trivial to create fake photos on the iPhone with the help of AI.
I can see why Apple would want to do it, and it’s the same reason why Google is doing it. This sort of capability proves you’re innovating in the AI industry, that your generative AI is good at, well, generating stuff. It’s not just about generating text but also images and videos.
But hopefully, Apple will find ways to mark AI-edited images clearly so any viewer will understand they’re fake photos. Or Apple will stick with editing powers that won’t match the Pixel 9 abilities. Apple could always demo a superior image generation tool to show it can do it and then say the feature will not be available in Apple Intelligence.
Again, anybody can create fake images with all sorts of software, including Gemini and Apple Intelligence competitors. But phones like the Pixel 9 make it even easier, as all that tech sits inside your pocket or purse. Also, remember that Reimagine is a feature Google unveiled for the Pixel 9 phones. But Google could always include it in the Google Photos app available on all Android phones down the road.
