为了挤兑苹果的Siri，谷歌推出自己的AI助手

Google has always used its annual I/O conference to connect to developers in its sprawling empire. It announces new tools and initiatives, sprinkles in a little hype, and then tells those watching: choose us, and together we’ll go far.

But while in previous years this message has been directed at coders working with Android and Chrome — the world’s biggest mobile OS and web browser respectively — yesterday, CEO Sundar Pichai made it clear that the next platform the company wants to dominate could be even bigger: artificial intelligence.

For Google, this doesn’t just mean using AI to improve its own products. (Although it’s certainly doing that).

The company wants individuals and small companies around the world to also get on board. It wants to wield influence in the wider AI ecosystem, and to do so has put together an impressive stack of machine learning tools — from software to servers — that mean you can build an AI product from the ground up without ever leaving the Google playpen.

Other firms like Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft also offer their own AI tools, but it’s Google’s that feel pre-eminent.

Samim Winiger, head of machine learning design studio Samim.io. thinks this is partly down to the company’s capacity to shape the media narrative, but also because of the strong level of support it provides to its users.

“There are technical differences between [different AI frameworks], but machine learning communities live off community support and forums, and in that regard Google is winning,” he says.