What will happen to Google Assistant has been unknown for over a year. Google used to think of its software as its crown jewel. It was an important part of both the company’s mobile and smart home plans. Google gave away Home Mini speakers five years ago as a way to expand its community.
But on Tuesday, before next week’s Made by Google 2024 event, the company said that Assistant will be back, at least on the Home/Nest side of things.
Because everyone had to stay home more because of the plague, Assistant and Alexa got a nice boost. For the past few years, though, both Google and Alexa seem to have slowed down.
Many people have said that the smart home is dead, which is not true. A lot of people in the U.S. have smart home devices. Take a quick look around your neighborhood and see how many doorbell cams you can find. The promise of the smart home was never just one or two gadgets that were linked on each floor. It was a fully automated home environment that was linked together.
Why doesn’t everyone live in fully automatic smart homes? There are many reasons for this. One big difference is that smart gadgets usually cost a lot more than dumb ones. Another reason is that the landscape has been broken up for a long time because gadget makers have been pushing their own apps and ecosystems. Bad experiences like that can turn a consumer who was originally interested in a product or service off for good.
There have been hard times for the coaches at the center of these plays. Both Bixby from Samsung and Cortana from Microsoft are no longer available. There was no more talk about Siri from Apple either. The last generation of smart assistants seemed very old when generative AI tools like ChatGPT became popular.
Before the end of the year, Google beta users could choose to make its GenAI platform Gemini the default helper on their Pixel phones. Gemini and its obvious fondness for putting glue on pizza wasn’t quite ready to take the place of Assistant, but it looked like Assistant’s time was running out.
With new Pixel phones coming out soon, Assistant may not be around for much longer on Android. But for now, it’s still on the home page. Google also released a new Learning Thermostat and a streaming set-top box. They also said that Assistant will stay in the Home environment, powered by Gemini models.
It’s not clear what Gemini’s exact role is in supporting Assistant, but natural language is the most obvious use case. Assistant, Alexa, and other AIs like them have had trouble with talks for a long time. A lot of the time, encounters are just one question. This is an area where creative AI really shines.
“You won’t have to ask your question in a certain way—use the language that works best for you,” Google writes. If you want to know more, you could ask, “Is Pluto a planet?” and then “Could they change their minds again?” Can’t remember what that song is called? To find that famous basketball theme song, just type it into Google. Assistant can also use Gemini’s ability to come up with new ideas to have fun during a family discussion. For example, she could ask, “Help me make the case that Crocs are really cool—and mention sport mode.”
These exact changes will be made later this year as part of a public preview for Nest Aware subscribers.
Also Read: Google Loses a Huge Antitrust Fight Over Search, but They Will Appeal the Decision
Another clear use for Gemini is the ability to summarize information, which is a key part of Google’s plan to add creative AI to its search results. The big question is whether Google will keep calling it Google Assistant or change it to Gemini. Siri just got a new look from Apple, which is thanks to its new Apple Assistant models and AI. It looks like Google is going to do the same thing, at least when it comes to smart homes.
What do you say about this story? Visit Parhlo World For more.
