AI and Surveillance Are the Rent Checks Of The Future & Google Just Went All In (New Phone Who Dis?)

“Hey Google, define 1984…” 

So it appears, Google threw another funeral party this week and called it the Made by Google 2025 event. This included the Pixel 10, a foldable, a watch, some earbuds, and a fresh coat of Gemini lipstick. Same ritual every year. The phone market is a corpse, but they keep dressing it up for open-casket viewings because Wall Street still demands a slideshow.

(Source: Giphy) 

For starters, the Pixel 10 looks like the Pixel 9, which looked like the Pixel 8. Sure, there’s a new chip, a telephoto lens, and faster charging… but that’s just garnish. The real meat is Gemini… a.k.a, AI stitched into every crack of the device to make you feel like buying another phone is anything more than paying rent on surveillance.

(Source: TechCrunch) 

However, now, the camera won’t just take your photo, it’ll coach you on how to exist. AI whispering: tilt left, step into the light, pretend this life is worth documenting. Don’t like the picture? Just tell Gemini to erase the parts you can’t stand. Bigly. As for the cost, it’s still $1,799, still fragile, but now with a hinge that won’t choke on dust. The watch, on the other hand, is thicker, earbuds are new colors, and the charger is a knockoff MagSafe. 

But, but, but… then, there’s the element that people who wear socks with flipflops live for: Gemini for Home. As we all know, Google Assistant is dead, which is why Gemini replaces it with the same “Hey Google” activation, but now it comes with a subscription plan and a deeper hunger. Lights, thermostats, cameras, speakers… all streaming back to the model so it can study the patterns of your life. Side note: I don’t know about you but, thinking about the next 8-10 years scares the hell out of me when it comes to technology. 

(Source: Giphy) 

But alas, the dark truth of Google's event is this: the Pixel 10 isn’t really the product, it’s a probe. The phone doesn’t matter. The foldable doesn’t matter. The watch doesn’t matter. What matters is the data… your home, your habits, your face, your voice… all fed into Gemini’s bloodstream. Add in the fact that Gemini is the spirit of AI, well, it’s what investors and Wall Street demand. 

Meaning, yes… the Pixel 10 is boring, and everything Google talked about it overpriced. But again, that’s not the point. The point is that Google just tightened the noose a little further around your daily life, and Wall Street will happily applaud as long as the cash flow scales.

(Source: Giphy) 

With that said, if you’re an investor, you don’t need to love the products. You just need to accept the reality here: hardware is a hospice business. AI subscriptions and surveillance are the future rent checks. And Google… with Gemini in your phone, your wrist, your home… is doing whatever it can to become the landlord. Meaning, keep your eyes out for more updates on this shindig and place your bets accordingly. Until next time, friends… 

At the time of publishing, Stocks.News holds positions in Alphabet (Google) as mentioned in the article.