Google is rolling out a new cloud-based platform that lets users unlock advanced AI features on their devices while keeping data private. The feature, virtually identical to Apple’s Private Cloud Compute, comes as companies reconcile users’ demands for privacy with the growing computational needs of the latest AI applications.
Many Google products run AI features like translation, audio summaries, and chatbot assistants, on-device, meaning data doesn’t leave your phone, Chromebook, or whatever it is you’re using. This isn’t sustainable, Google says, as advancing AI tools need more reasoning and computational power than devices can supply.
The compromise is to ship more difficult AI requests to a cloud platform, called Private AI Compute, which it describes as a “secure, fortified space” offering the same degree of security you’d expect from on-device processing. Sensitive data is available “only to you and no one else, not even Google.”
Google said the ability to tap into more processing power will help its AI features go from completing simple requests to giving more personal and tailored suggestions. For example, it says Pixel 10 phones will get more helpful suggestions from Magic Cue, an AI tool that contextually surfaces information from email and calendar apps, and a wider range of languages for Recorder transcriptions. “This is just the beginning,” Google said.