Google’s Pixel Watch 5 isn’t some radical new redesign, but it does bring about some welcome enhancements. And while I’m still wrestling with mixed feelings around the use of generative AI nowadays, the Pixel Watch 5’s AI watch face generator has been a surprising delight.
I’m a smartwatch wearer for a number of reasons, from notifications to health tracking, but a pretty big part of it is customization. If I was a traditional watch guy, I’d probably have dozens of watches to swap out depending on the day. But, with Pixel Watch, I’ve really just settled into swapping watch faces and bands to suit whatever I’m feeling on that particular day.
So when Google first showed me this new feature that lets me create a new watch face from just a voice command, I was immediately intrigued to try it in person.
This is an extension of Gemini Intelligence on the Pixel Watch 5 and, unlike the rest of the catalog, it’s a point that Google isn’t really talking about all that much. It’s not mentioned anywhere on the Google Store listing, for example. It works more or less how you’d expect. Go to switch your watch face, tap the big ol’ “Create” button, and Google will either let you describe your desired face or pick from a variety of guided categories. In that sense, it’s not all that different from AI-generated wallpapers on Pixel phones.
