Google has shut down its AI Test Kitchen mobile apps. It removed both Android and iOS versions of the app from their respective app stores (Google Play Store and Apple App Store) on Monday. The apps themselves stopped working a few hours later, prompting users to access the platform on the web.
“AI Test Kitchen has moved to the web,” a banner on the discontinued mobile apps reads. “This allows us to deliver more demos faster,” Google further explains. The banner contains a link to the web interface of the company’s AI experiment hub. In a statement to 9to5Google, a Google spokesperson reiterated that the apps have been shut down to ensure faster and easier updates for all users. It no longer needs to separately update the platform on Android, iOS, and the web.
AI Test Kitchen lets you try out Google’s AI experiments
Announced at Google I/O 2022 in May, AI Test Kitchen debuted in August of that year. The company described it as a public platform to “learn about, experience, and give feedback on emerging AI technology.” At launch, it offered three AI experiments powered by Google’s LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications): Imagine It, List It, and Talk About It (Dogs Edition).
Along with the web interface, Google also launched dedicated mobile apps for AI Test Kitchen on Android and iOS. It even announced a “Season 2” for the app in November. The company touted new AI experiments such as City Dreamer and Wobble, both of which were text-to-image generation tools. The former would let you build a city of your imagination, while the latter used AI to make an imaginary monster dance.
However, Google seemingly scrapped those plans as the new tools never arrived. Meanwhile, At Google I/O 2023 in May, the company added its AI music creation tool MusicLM to the AI Test Kitchen and simultaneously removed the existing experiments from the platform. MusicLM, which lets you create music using text prompts, is the only experimental tool currently available on Google’s AI Test Kitchen.
Google will likely add more new AI tools to the platform in the coming months. But you won’t be able to access them through mobile apps. You must visit the web interface to try the latest AI innovations from the tech giant. You can sign up for AI Test Kitchen here. “Our goal is to learn, improve, and innovate responsibly on AI together,” Google says.
