Gemini is the result of large-scale collaborative efforts by teams across Google, built from the ground up to be multimodal. Google said this means it can generalise and seamlessly understand, operate across and combine different types of information including text, code, audio, image and video.

Gemini is designed to efficiently run on everything from data centres to mobile devices. Its state-of-the-art capabilities are said significantly enhance the way developers and enterprise customers build and scale with AI. The first version, Gemini 1.0, comes in three different sizes:

• Gemini Ultra — our largest and most capable model for highly complex tasks.
• Gemini Pro — our best model for scaling across a wide range of tasks.
• Gemini Nano — our most efficient model for on-device tasks.

Gemini Nano will be running on Pixel 8 Pro today as the first smartphone engineered for it, thanks to the power of Tensor G3 processor. Here are the latest Generative AI-powered features for Pixel, along with other updates for productivity, customisation and AI-mazing photos and videos. 

Powered by Gemini Nano on your Pixel 8 Pro

• Summarise in Recorder so you can get a summary of recorded conversations and more – even without a network connection. 

• Smart Reply in Gboard so you can save time with suggestions of high quality responses with conversational awareness – available now to try now with WhatsApp, coming soon to more apps next year onwards!

*Both Summarise in Recorder and Smart Reply in Gboard are available globally in  en_US.

Capturing memories more vividly with AI-powered photos and videos 

• Video Boost on your Pixel 8 Pro that enables Night Sight video which uses AI to reduce noise in videos recorded at night or in low light conditions so you don’t miss out on rich detail and colour. 

• All new Night Sight in Timelapse to help you record vibrant and detailed timelapse videos even in low light. Just set your Pixel on a steady surface and let your Pixel Camera do what it does best – capture amazing videos at night! 

• Refocus with the upgraded Photo Unblur to capture the clearest images of your furry friends, especially if they can’t sit still! Or of your human friends as well, as it still helps to refocus people’s faces and backgrounds. 

Making life easier with more productivity tools 

• All new Clean features that can help remove blemishes like stains or creases from scanned documents. Simply access it through the Camera app! 

• Stay safe with Repair Mode that protects your personal data while your device is getting fixed up at the repair shop. 

For more information about the December feature drop, you can head over to Google’s blog here.

Singapore National Parks Board (NParks), Microsoft and Conservation International (CI) yesterday announced the launch of Fin Finder. It is Asia’s first mobile app that uses AI to visually identify illegally traded shark and ray species.

This app was created by a Singapore-led team from CI with NParks supported by Microsoft AI for Earth program. The app will be used by officers from the Singapore National Parks Board to combat illegal trade shark and ray fins.

According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II, there are approximately 1,000 species of sharks and rays in the world, of which over 30 species are listed under CITES Appendix II for regulated trade. In Singapore, more than 160,000 kilograms of fins from CITES-listed sharks and rays have entered the borders between 2012 and 2020.

Dr Adrian Loo, Group Director of Wildlife Management, NParks, said: “By using advanced technology in the creation of Fin Finder, we can strengthen the enforcement against the illegal trade of sharks and ray species following CITES regulation, and boost Singapore’s capabilities in conserving precious biodiversity.”

The current process requires NParks officers to collect the fins from each shipment for DNA testing to determine its species. This is very time consuming and takes up to a week on average to do so.

On the other hand, the Fin Finder app is able to identify the species in a matter of seconds with an accuracy of 89%. It does so by running the photos – taken by NParks officer of the fins – and matching against a database of over 15,000 shark and ray fin images using an AI algorithm.

The app, which runs on Microsoft Azure, will quickly and accurately provide a visual identification of shark and ray species onsite. This allows NParks officers to quickly flag suspicious fin shipments for further DNA testing to stop the illegal trade of shark and ray fins.

Mr Richard Koh, Chief Technology Officer, Microsoft Singapore, said: “AI has the potential to solve critical environmental challenges. By taking AI tools out of the lab and putting it into the hands of experts in the field, we can accelerate new solutions for a better world. That’s why we are proud to support Fin Finder as it protects global shark and ray populations and preserves our ocean life.”

NParks officers can also use Fin Finder as a single-platform directory of relevant shark and ray species, apart from identifying illegally traded shark and ray fins. The app also offers onsite access to reference materials that can be used for validation of CITES-approved permits or shipping documents. This is expected to reduce the time and effort spent to on shipment validation.