Google Labs, the tech giant’s team dedicated to experimental product design, has released a new AI-powered app for iOS and Android that literally brings your life to life.
Behold dream beans. Why is it called that? More on that later.
First, what is it?
Gozde Ozner, the new app’s product lead, told TechCrunch that the idea is to use data culled from various Google services to generate a curated list of AI-drawn “stories.” These stories come in many shapes and forms, but generally appear to be lifestyle propositions. Osner describes it as “places to visit, topics to explore, things to try, upcoming trips, and events to know about.”
Dreambeans generates these ideas based on your Google data. “With 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 designed to spark new ideas,” the company says.
For example, some Stories might be geographic recommendations, such as suggesting new coffee shops near where the user lives that might be of interest to the user. Or, as in the case of this marketing video, if you’re planning on getting a new dog and have that event marked on your Google Calendar, Dreambeans could provide some insight into what it’s like to live with a new puppy. Still other articles may be news articles curated from around the web based on the user’s past interests.
Ozner said the app was also created as an antidote to doomscrolling, and would only provide users with a limited number of stories per day, typically between 10 and 14. The idea is to get some inspirational ideas and go out and live your life, she said. Many companies are now trying to sue users who suffer from phone addiction. I recently reviewed Bond, a startup that uses AI to automatically generate lifestyle suggestions for users.
What about privacy protection?
Ozner says they’re pretty solid. Only users can access stories in the app. Users can delete their data at any time and can also choose which Google services the tool connects to.
Finally, what is the origin of the name “Dream Beans”?
The idea for the name came in part from how the system operates during sleep, she said.
“The dream part is literal, because while you’re sleeping, the app is doing everything across its connected apps. Because as you can imagine, there’s a lot of data to extract,” Ozner said. “The bean part is like starting your day with freshly brewed coffee. It processes everything overnight and leaves you focused and inspired in the morning.”
Dreambeans is currently available only to eligible US-based Google AI Ultra subscribers on Android and iOS. However, there is also a waiting list available to users with personal Google Accounts.
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