Google Pixel Devices May Get Bard AI as a New Homescreen Widget, Tips APK Teardown

Bard, Google’s ChatGPT-esque chatbot could soon find its way to Pixel smartphones and tablets. Google is reportedly preparing to expand the reach of its generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot by adding it to the company’s devices through a widget. A recent APK (Android Package Kit) teardown of Bard’s code indicates the arrival of the chatbot as a homescreen widget. Bard could be either integrated into the Google Search app or arrive as a standalone app. Bard can now code in 20 programming languages including Java, C++ and Python.

As per an APK teardown by 9to5Google, Google is working to implement Bard AI on Pixel phones and tablets. As per the report, the search giant is planning to add a dedicated widget for its Bard AI right on the homescreen, exclusive to the company’s devices. Bard could be either integrated into the Google Search app or come as a standalone app. It is likely to include suggested prompts for conversations, opening directly into the corresponding app.

Bard’s potential integration into Pixel phones could set the groundwork for a broader rollout of AI to all Android devices in the future. Since this has not yet been confirmed by Google, the information should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Google started the public release of Bard in March this year to gain ground on Microsoft in a fast-moving race on AI technology. Currently, Google’s in-house competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT can be accessed by a small set of users. Bard can code in 20 programming languages including Java, C++ and Python, and can also help debug and explain code to users.

Google is expected to make AI-related announcements at this year’s I/O conference. The annual event that is set to begin on May 10 will see the launch of Pixel 7a and the much-anticipated Pixel Fold.