At Google’s annual Cloud Next conference, which was held in Las Vegas in early April, the company announced what’s to come for AI and cloud for businesses. Part of the massive event included discussing various partnerships across different verticals, including healthcare, cybersecurity, research, and banking. A few of the ways Google is integrating AI and Google Gemini are especially interesting, touching on how AI assists, streamlines, simplifies, and enhances tasks in all types of industries. Here are a few you might not have heard about.
Filing Taxes Is Even Easier With Intuit TurboTax
For late tax filers this year or in preparation of next year’s tax season (and beyond), Intuit Inc. has collaborated with Google Cloud to make simplifying filing your tax returns even easier. Leveraging generative AI, the done-for-you autofill option for tax returns in the U.S. is being expanded. Intuit already uses its own Generative AI Operating System (GenOS) and large language models (LLMs) for personalized experiences. This allows you to do things like import, upload, even photo capture items to add to your return without having to manually input the information. With the addition of Google Cloud Document AI technology and Gemini models, there’s now support for more complicated forms, like 1099 forms for self-employment in the U.S and tax form 1040.
Mattel Uses Google Cloud for Customer Insights
Another way Google Cloud is being used by businesses is to assist with consumer insights, fan engagement, and product innovation. Mattel, Inc., for example, will be using Google Cloud data analytics to synthesize consumer touchpoints in real-time to offer its customers more personalized experiences. The company can analyze customer insights across various channels, including social media, reviews, and direct communications, in a matter of seconds. From there, Mattel can make decisions more quickly and tap into trends more effectively. With advanced audience segmentation, the company can also cater to specific consumer groups with differing needs, like collectors versus gift givers. Analyzing customer reviews at a blazing fast speed, Mattel can use the aggregate of this feedback to make improvements to flagship products more quickly. Two products where these insights were already used include the Barbie DreamHouse and Fisher-Price Glow and Grow Kick & Play Piano Gym.
Reddit Answers Are Powered by Gemini on Vertex AI
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If you use Reddit, you might have seen Reddit Answers, the AI-powered conversational interface. This service, which is currently only available in the U.S. (it’s accessible in beta in Canada, too), is designed to help users find information, recommendations, and foster discussions more easily. You can ask a question and Reddit will curate summaries of relevant conversations with links to communities and posts so you can find exactly what you’re looking for. Vertex AI Search helps speed up the process and refine the results, limiting it to existing posts and conversations to ensure authenticity and real-world insights.
Samsung Ballie Gets Smarter with Gemini
Samsung announced its Ballie home AI companion robot five years ago at CES, and it’s finally going to be released this year. The wait may be worth it since Ballie will now include Google Cloud generative AI technology. This will allow the robot to more easily and intelligently engage in natural conversations with homeowners looking for assistance to do everything from dim the lights to answer the door, set reminders, and more.
Gemini will be used in conjunction with Samsung’s own language models so it can process inputs from audio commands, its integrated cameras, and sensor data from the environment. Using these technologies, Ballie will be able to adapt behaviours and offer personalized responses in real time. You could ask it how your outfit looks, for example, before heading out for a meeting and it will scan you and offer suggestions. It can also provide advice through Gemini, like suggestions on how to improve your energy levels if you’re feeling tired.
Papa Johns Aims to Boost Business With AI
Papa Johns is a popular pizza chain, and the company is now leveraging Google Cloud’s AI, data analytics, and machine learning to help improve the customer experience both in stores and through digital channels. For example, it will use Google BigQuery, Vertex AI, and Gemini to proactively suggest orders to customers using push notifications and e-mail based on learned preferences and anticipated needs for events like birthdays or big games. Loyalty program rewards and benefits can be better personalized to each unique customer. You’ll get discount codes based on your location, preferences, and previous orders. It will also leverage predictive ordering to help simplify the ordering process for repeat customers. The brand even has plans to build an AI chatbot to help with common customer inquiries along with AI-powered voice ordering capabilities. In stores, Papa Johns will transition to a Google Cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) system to assist with dispatching and route optimization for deliveries, along with automating certain in-store processes.
The Sphere in Las Vegas Puts on a The Wizard of Oz Spectacle
Finally, Google has partnered with Sphere Entertainment Co. to bring The Wizard of Oz at Sphere to the stunning venue, using generative AI to bring the story to life in a new and exciting way. Involving thousands of creators, coders, VFX artists, and others, it’s a unique method of storytelling that shows the scope of what generative AI can do. The show, which will open August 28, 2025, leverages Google Cloud, Google DeepMind, and Gemini models Veo 2 and Imagen 3, which work together to enhance the resolution and backgrounds from the movie and digitally recreate scenes and characters. Processing 1.2 petabytes of data, it’s a massive undertaking that will likely have jaw-dropping results.
Google Cloud Next focused on all the hot button topics in AI, like cybersecurity, infrastructure, data cloud, and more. But this diverse list of customers, from tax software to pizza restaurants, show how AI is permeating every industry in different ways. Google Cloud Next will return to Las Vegas in 2026, running from April 22-24.
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