Google’s Dreambeans, its oddly named AI tool so far, will turn your life into a cartoon

Google Labs, the tech giant’s team dedicated to experimental product development, has launched a new AI-powered app for iOS and Android that will liven up your life.

Behold, Dreambeans. Why is it called that? We’ll get to that later.

First, what is it?

Gozde Oznur, the product lead behind the new program, told TechCrunch that the idea is to use the data collected from all your Google services to generate a curated list of “stories” with AI images. These stories come in a variety of shapes and forms, although – often – they appear to be lifestyle suggestions. Oznur describes them as “places to visit, topics to explore, things to try, upcoming trips, events to watch out for.”

Dreambeans generates these ideas based on Google user data. “With your permission, Dreambeans uses Personal Intelligence to connect information from Google applications such as Gmail, Calendar, Photos, YouTube and Search History, to prepare a curated collection of daily stories designed to spark new ideas,” the company said.

So for example, some stories might be local recommendations – like suggesting a new coffee shop near where the user lives that the user might be interested in. Or, as in the case of this marketing video, if you get a new dog and that event is marked on Google Calendar, Dreambeans can bring you some information about what it’s like to live with a new puppy. Some stories may be news topics selected from the web, based on the user’s previous interests.

Oznur said the app is also designed as an antidote to doomscrolling, because it only offers users a limited number of stories per day — typically 10 to 14. The idea is to find a few inspiring ideas and then go out and live your life, he said. Many companies are currently trying to blame the sick user for phone addiction. I recently reviewed a startup, Bond, that also uses AI to automatically generate user lifestyle suggestions.

What about privacy protections?

According to Oznur, they are very strong. The only person who has access to the app’s news is the user, he said. Users can also delete their data whenever they want, and they can choose which Google services they want to connect to the tool.

Finally, where does the name “Dreambeans” come from?

The concept of the name was created, in part, by the way the system works while you sleep, he said.

“Part of the dream is real, because while you’re sleeping, the app is working on everything in all your connected apps, because, as you can imagine, it’s a lot of data that it’s processing,” said Oznur. “Part of the bean is about how you start your day with a freshly brewed cup of coffee. It processes everything overnight and gives you a little boost in the morning.”

Dreambeans is currently only available to eligible US Google AI Ultra subscribers on Android and iOS. However, there is also a waiting list available for users with a personal Google account.