Google launched a barrage of new hardware this week, from the Pixel 9 smartphones to new wireless earbuds. Underpinning all the shiny gadgetry is Google's Gemini artificially intelligent assistant. The chatbot launched earlier this year and is now the default assistant on the Pixel 9 series and is already available on millions of Android phones worldwide. But there's a new way to talk to this chatbot that's now rolling out: Gemini Live.
This is Google's response to OpenAI's GPT-4o, a way to talk to the assistant naturally, much like a normal voice conversation between two humans (or at least, that's the goal). It's currently rolling out in English to Gemini Advanced subscribers ($20 per month), and you can access it by tapping on the little Live button at the bottom right of the Gemini app. It will come to the iOS app and more languages in the coming weeks.
Sissie Hsiao, Google’s vice president of Gemini experiences, tells WIRED this chatbot isn’t just a reheated Google Assistant. Instead, it’s an interface that’s been completely rebuilt from the ground up using generative AI. “Over the years of building Assistant, there are two things users have asked us for repeatedly,” Hsiao says. “Number one is they've asked for a more fluid and natural assistant—they want to be able to talk to it naturally without having to change the way they speak. The second is more capable; to help them solve their life problems, not just simple tasks.”
Live, From Google
Launch Gemini and you’ll see a blank screen with an ethereal light glowing up from the bottom. You can start talking to the assistant and have a conversation even if your phone is locked and the screen is off, and it's also accessible through Google's new Pixel Buds Pro 2 wireless earbuds so you can talk hands-free while your phone is in your bag. There are 10 voices you can choose from of varying tones, accents, and styles. When you end the session, you'll see a transcription of the entire conversation, and that’s something you can access at any time in the Gemini app.
Unlike voice assistants of old, Gemini Live lets you interrupt the conversation without disrupting the entire experience. (This is especially useful as Gemini tends to talk … a lot.) And the idea is to connect it with other apps via extensions, though many of these aren't available yet. For example, you'll be able to ask in Gemini Live to pull up a party invitation in your Gmail and ask about the time and location instead of digging it up yourself. Or hunt for a recipe and ask it to add the ingredients to a shopping list in Google Keep. Google says these extensions to its apps like Keep, Tasks, Utilities, Calendar, and YouTube Music will launch in the coming weeks.
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