Google’s latest AI updates are a “direct response” to ChatGPT’s early dominance of the generative artificial intelligence space, industry experts have said. The tech giant has announced a wide range of new tools powered by its Gemini AI model, including abilities to use text, image and video to interact with its AI assistant across different Google apps. The updates came a day after ChatGPT maker OpenAI showed off developments to the popular chatbot which enable it to have more human-like conversations and respond more easily to voice prompts, as well as text, audio and visual prompts – a process known as being multimodal. Industry expert and Emarketer analyst Jacob Bourne said: “Coming on the heels of OpenAI’s GPT-4o announcement, it’s no surprise that AI is a major theme at Google’s I/O, including a demo of Gemini’s latest multimodal capabilities as a direct response to ChatGPT’s voice mode. “By showcasing its latest models and how they’ll power existing products with strong consumer reach, Google is demonstrating how it can effectively differentiate itself from rivals.” Leo Gebbie from CCS Insight said this area of the technology will become a key battleground between the biggest AI firms. “A major push from Google –...