Do you want a new Google phone full of AI?

The NewYorkTimes.com reported that “Your next smartphone will probably be what the tech industry calls an artificially intelligent phone, a handset that does all the work for you.”  The August 19, 2026 article entitled “Google’s New Phone Comes With Plenty of A.I. Does Anyone Want That?” (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/19/technology/personaltech/google-pixel-11-review.html) included these comments from Reporter Brian X. Chen:

…is that something people even want?

Google thinks so. Each year, the search giant releases new Pixel smartphones that include quirky new A.I. software for speeding up tasks. Its Pixel 11 phones, which arrive in stores this week, will let users ask Google’s A.I. assistant, Gemini, to order groceries, hail rides and book restaurant tables.

The A.I. in the new Pixel phones is part of Google’s ambition to redefine personal computing. The company is betting that A.I. will eventually supersede the operating system in importance as people rely on Gemini instead of using apps themselves. Apple will test a similar idea this fall with the release of Siri AI, a new version of its personal assistant (also powered by Gemini) for iPhones.

Google’s Pixel phone, which starts at $900, doesn’t sell well and makes up a tiny portion of the handset market. But it is very influential. Many companies, including Apple and Samsung, eventually add some of Google’s best ideas to their own phones. So each year, I take the new Pixel for a spin to assess which features are likely to start a trend, and which are likely to be a fad.

Anyone surprised?