It’s only been a couple of weeks since Amazon promised a new Alexa with generative AI smarts, and in a shocking development–just kidding, we knew it all along–Google is promising the same thing for Google Assistant.
During its annual Made for Google event in New York on Wednesday, Google unwrapped Assistant with Bard, a new version of Google Assistant that’s powered by Google’s ChatGPT rival.
So far, Google is only talking about Assistant with Bard on mobile devices, including both Android and iOS handsets. That said, it seems likely that Assistant with Bard on Google’s Nest smart displays and speakers won’t be far behind.
As with the revamped, generative AI-powered Alexa, Google’s Assistant with Bard will make for a “more intuitive, intelligent, personalized assistant” that “understands and adapts to you and handles personal tasks in new ways.”
Google ticked off some of the tricks Assistant with Bard will be able to perform, including planning trips, creating grocery lists, composing text messages, and so on.
Another example involved putting an Assistant with Bard overlay over a puppy photo on your Android phone, and then asking the Assistant to write a post about the snapshot for your social feeds.
Assistant with Bard will also be integrated into Google’s online office suit, including Gmail and Docs.
Google is calling Assistant with Bard an “early experiment” that will arrive “over the next few months” following a private beta.
Google’s Assistant with Bard leaves a number of questions unanswered, including when–and if–the new generative AI-powered Assistant will land on Nest smart speakers.
Given that the revamped Alexa is definitely coming to Amazon’s Echo devices, it would seem almost certain that Assistant with Bard would make its way to Nest speakers, too.
But then again, it’s been seemingly ages since a new Nest speaker arrived (well, aside from the recent Pixel Display, which works similar to a Nest speaker when connected to its speaker dock), leading many to believe that Google has simply lost interest in the category.
Asked whether Assistant for Bard is coming to Nest speakers, a Google rep declined to make any specific promises, but noted that “smart home is a key area” when it comes to determining how “LLMs can improve the Assistant experience.” Count that as a “maybe,” I suppose.
The other big question is: Will Google charge extra for Assistant with Bard, as Amazon says it might do for its generative AI-powered Alexa? I’m guessing yes, but perhaps only when it comes to Assistant with Bard integration into Google’s Workspace tools. But again, that’s just a guess.
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