The new Google News is faster, smarter, and prettier

The Google I/O 2018 keynote is underway, and the latest product to get a major AI-infused revamp is Google News.

In his introduction to the “reimagined” Google News, Sundar Pichai talked about the responsibility that Google has to the millions of people who use Google News to inform their worldview. But Pichai also mentioned the responsibility that Google has to publishers and its commitment to supporting quality journalism.

The redesigned Google News prominently features a “briefing” with the top five stories that Google’s AI algorithms think are best for you. The entire selection of news is, in fact, done using AI algorithms that get better the more you use the app. The app also pulls in local events and other local news to give you the most relevant selection of news, posts, comments, podcasts and more.

The new Google News has received a good splash of paint, with a refreshed Material theme, as well as larger images. The app also introduced Newscasts, which are animated story previews that offer the key points of stories without actually having to open them.

The Full Coverage link gives you a quick way to get the big picture on any given topic. One tap and you can get perspectives on the topic from a variety of sources, organized around key points of the story. These include news posts, tweets, opinion, analyses and fact checks.

Google mentioned that everyone will see the same content in Full Coverage, with the caveat that Google’s algorithms will select which sources are deemed trusted.

Publishers are put front and center in the new Google News, which makes it easier to follow your favorite publications. This includes signing up for publisher subscriptions — a new feature called “Subscribe with Google” will let you manage your subscriptions to various publications from one place.

The Google News app is rolling out on Android, iOS, and the web in 127 countries starting today.