Google got a lot of things right with the Pixel 9 lineup. The hardware is lovely, the chip is fast, even the huge camera bump kind of has a way about it, you know? It’s a worthy Android flagship in every way. It also — and not to be dramatic here — feels a bit like a harbinger of doom.
The Pixel 9’s AI photography features, particularly the “Reimagine” tool that allows you to change your photos with just a prompt, appears to be a big and worrisome step toward a world in which we won’t be able to trust photos of practically any sort. These aren’t the AI-generated photos with too many fingers and plenty of other tells; these just look like photos. They are photos! But they’re not real. And we’re not ready for what that means.
On this episode of The Vergecast, we talk about the Pixel 9, and what’s here and what’s coming from AI cameras. After that, we talk through some streaming news, including the possibility of yet another wrinkle in the Paramount acquisition saga and the controversial cancellation of The Acolyte. Then we get to the week’s truly big story: Chick-fil-A’s impending entry into the streaming wars. We have some guesses about the company’s plans, and some (we think) pretty strong content ideas.
Finally, it’s time for the lightning round, in which we talk about JBL’s new headphone case and its even larger screen, the never-ending disaster that is the new Sonos app, and Amazon’s deeply weird decision to cancel the main feature on its digital photo frame.
If you want to know more about everything we discuss in this episode, here are some links to get you started, beginning with the Pixel 9:
- Google Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL review: AI all over the placeGoogle’s AI tool helped us add disasters and corpses to our photos No one’s ready for thisThis system can sort real pictures from AI fakes — why aren’t platforms using it? The AI photo editing era is hereFrom Digital Trends: I tried Google’s new Pixel Studio app, and it’s a mess
And on all things streaming:
- A new $6 billion bid to take over Paramount could undo plans to merge with Skydance.The 2024 Olympics were a big win for TV of all kindsThe Acolyte has been canceledChick-fil-A is reportedly launching a streaming service for some reasonSpotify star Alex Cooper is jumping to a new podcast network
And in the lightning round:
- Alex Cranz’s pick: JBL made its charging case touchscreen more useful with a size boost Richard Lawler’s pick: Amazon cancels the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition’s main feature — focusing on photosDavid Pierce’s pick: Sonos CEO says the old app can’t be rereleased
