Alexander Lewis 
May 17, 2024
In comparison to previous years, I/O 2024 had a more distinct developer conference feel, extending over two days. Notably, there was a third day dedicated to an internal “Demo Slam” event for Google employees, during which a Gemini hackathon was announced.
There was no I/O in 2020, and the 2021 event was streamed to a very limited live audience in Mountain View. In 2022 and 2023, attendees were invited for a single day. In 2024, after the keynote, Google hosted live sessions for in-person attendees and organised social events after hours.
I/O 2024 already seemed like a three-day event since the pre-recorded live sessions were uploaded to YouTube on Thursday morning. However, there was an additional day of programming exclusively for Googlers at the Shoreline Amphitheatre.
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An internal email seen by us this afternoon from CEO Sundar Pichai — who hosted the event — indicated that thousands of Googlers attended, with others able to stream it internally. He also shared images on LinkedIn:
Android engineering VP Dave Burke, alongside other teams from Google DeepMind, Search, and Labs, showcased what had been announced earlier in the week. Project Astra was demonstrated again, and some announcements were then made available to employees for internal testing.
During the I/O Demo Slam, Pichai announced an internal hackathon encouraging Google employees to experiment with Gemini.
Googlers can collaborate in teams, with this project designed to foster AI experimentation that could potentially lead to new products. Google executives will select finalists to present at a company-wide meeting, with the hackathon also offering a monetary prize for the winning teams.
Pichai emphasised that Google aims “to create more opportunities for us to come together as a company in the spirit of innovation and problem-solving, focused on our biggest opportunities like AI.”
