Google's new Pixel ad highlights the iPhone's lack of AI capabilities through a stop-motion video.

Google's Pixel ads include the popular stop-action #BestPhonesForever series, which centers on the friendship between the Pixel and the iPhone. As a Google ad, the Pixel usually comes out on top. Whether you're a Pixel or iPhone user, the ads are enjoyable and have been around since the Pixel 7 series launched in 2022.

The newest #BestPhonesForever ad seems to support a recent report that the Pixel and iPhone are heading in different directions. Apple seems to be focusing on design, with a rumored thin iPhone Air. The Pixel is focusing on AI capabilities. With Magic Cue, Google wants to make AI an important tool that understands what's on your screen and anticipates what you need to see.

For example, if you're calling your airline to reschedule a flight, Magic Cue recognizes this and uses AI to browse your email, texts, and calendar. All your flight information, including the reservation number, appears on the screen, so you don't have to search for it when the airline employee asks.

In the latest video, the iPhone says he's struggling to teach his chickens to sing like the chickens in a video that Pixel sent. Pixel says those were AI videos created by Gemini, noting "I can create videos of just about anything." Pixel also tells iPhone that the video of turtles running an investment bank that Pixel sent to iPhone was created by Gemini.

The point of this #BestPhonesForever episode, "Generation Gap," is that the phones are moving in different directions. The Pixel uses AI to anticipate your needs and help you complete tasks. It uses AI to help you take better photos by telling you where to stand. Google is also replacing Google Assistant with Gemini, which gives Pixel users more detailed answers and can set alarms and timers.

The video also shows that the iPhone isn't as up to date with AI. While "Personal Siri" may do some of the same things as Magic Cue, the feature isn't expected until iOS 26.4 next spring. The Pixel has it now.

The Pixel's AI has me considering switching from my iPhone. Apple Intelligence is underwhelming. Turning your email into a letter written using iambic pentameter might be fun, but I'd rather have my phone anticipate my needs and take care of them. Perhaps "Personal Siri" will do some of this, but the Pixel 10 series can do these things now, while the updated Siri isn't expected until next spring.

In other news, "Iconic Phones: Revolution at Your Fingertips," a coffee table book for tech enthusiasts reliving the 21st century's technological revolution, will be released in a few months. Follow the link below for details.