We heard at Google I/O 2023 how Google intends to start putting even more AI into its products, and one of those updates came a little earlier than expected: Magic Compose in Google News.
It was supposed to come out this summer in the US, but now you can test it in the Android Messages app (via XDA Developers). For now, you need to switch to the so-called beta version app, be a Google One subscriber, and use English on a US SIM phone to access Magic Compose.
If you missed the announcement and earlier rumors, Magic Compose uses AI to write RCS messages on your behalf, in the styles you choose: Remix, Excited, Chill, Shakespeare, Lyrical, Formal and Short.
Privacy Points
According to Support pageMagic Compose sends “up to 20 previous messages” to Google’s servers to learn a bit about your writing style and conversation context, so you’ll need to come to terms with that before enabling this feature. Google promises that messages will be rejected after some AI responses are generated.
You have to take Google’s word for it to use your messaging history responsibly. It’s unclear at this time how this affects the end-to-end encryption that protects your RCS messages from being read by anyone else.
Another AI feature announced at Google I/O 2023, Search Generative Experience or SGE, opened its waitlist yesterday. It seems that Google wants as many people as possible to try out these new tools as soon as possible.
Analysis: do you want a bot to write your messages?
Many Google products, including Gmail and Google Messages for Android, already offer smart reply options: short, auto-generated messages that let you (for example) agree or disagree with something or let a contact know you’re on your way somewhere.
These quick responses make sense if you’re short on time and just need a quick yes or no – but we’re not sure people will want entire conversations prepared for them. Do you really want your friends and family to talk to an AI bot and not you?
We know that tools like ChatGPT are now able to generate reams of text that sound believable and realistic. Whether this AI text is actually good is another matter, especially when it comes to creativity and personality – for example, in the case of a script or a chat with a friend in Google News.
In a way, Magic Compose is just a bit of fun – especially the Lyrical and Shakespeare options. And perhaps, if you have a huge number of contacts, it can save you some time. But it seems strange to put AI text generation in this most human and intimate scenario.