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Google Labs, the tech giant\u2019s team devoted to experimental product design, has launched a new AI-fueled app for iOS and Android that will quite literally animate your life. <\/p>\n
Behold, Dreambeans<\/a>. Why is it called that? We\u2019ll get to that later.<\/p>\n First, what is it?<\/p>\n Gozde Oznur, the product lead behind the new app, told TechCrunch that the idea is to use data culled from across your various Google services to generate a curated list of AI-illustrated \u201cstories.\u201d These stories come in a variety of different shapes and forms, although \u2014 in general \u2014 they seem to be lifestyle suggestions. Oznur describes them as \u201cplaces to visit, topics to explore, things to try, upcoming trips, events that you should be aware of.\u201d<\/p>\n Dreambeans generates these ideas based on a user\u2019s Google data. \u201cWith your permission, Dreambeans uses Personal Intelligence to connect information from Google apps like Gmail, Calendar, Photos, YouTube and Search History, to curate a finite collection of daily stories\u00a0designed to spark new ideas,\u201d the company says.<\/p>\n So for instance, some stories may be geographical recommendations \u2014 like suggesting a new coffee shop near where the user lives that they might be interested in. Or, as is the case in this marketing video<\/a>, if you\u2019re getting a new dog and that event has been marked in your Google Calendar, Dreambeans might deliver some insights about what it\u2019s like to live with a new puppy. Still other stories may simply be news articles curated from the web, based on a user\u2019s past interests.<\/p>\n Oznur said the app has also been built as a doomscrolling antidote, in that it only provides users with a limited number of stories per day \u2014 typically 10 to 14. The idea is to get a few inspirational ideas and then go out and live your life, she said. A lot of companies are currently trying to court the user that is sick of phone addiction. I recently reviewed a startup, Bond,<\/a> which also uses AI to auto-generate lifestyle suggestions for the user.<\/p>\n What about privacy protections? <\/p>\n According to Oznur, they are pretty solid. The only person with access to the app\u2019s stories is the user, she said. Users can also delete their data whenever they want, and can choose which Google services they want to connect to the tool.<\/p>\n Finally, where did the name \u201cDreambeans\u201d come from?<\/p>\n The idea for the name was generated, in part, by the way the system works while you are asleep, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe dream part is literal, because while you sleep, the app is working through everything across your connected apps, because, as you can imagine, it\u2019s a lot of data that it is distilling,\u201d Oznur said. \u201cThe beans part is about how you kind of start your day with a freshly brewed cup of coffee. It has processed everything overnight and hands you a concentrated drop of inspiration in the morning.\u201d <\/p>\n Dreambeans is currently only available for\u00a0eligible U.S.-based Google AI Ultra subscribers on Android and iOS. However, there is also a\u00a0waitlist<\/a>\u00a0that is available to users with a personal Google account.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n