Newsletter
When Google first launched its Assistant back in 2016, it took the world by storm due to its capabilities. But, like many other voice assistants, Google Assistant has seen limited development over the years. However, all this is about to change as Google has announced it is integrating Bard functionalities in Assistant.
According to Sissie Hsiao, Google’s Vice President of Assistant/Bard, the Assistant with Bard will retain its existing capabilities and gain access to users’ personal Google apps such as Gmail, Docs, Drive, Maps, and YouTube. This enhancement not only allows users to ask tailored questions like “summarize my important emails from this week” but also enables the Assistant to function like an AI chatbot, as users can now use it to plan trips, create shopping lists, or even generate social media captions.
Moreover, users who want more functionality can also install “Bard Extensions,” which would allow the Assistant to track flights and make hotel bookings. However, it is important to note that users have the option to enable these personalized responses.
New multimodal capabilities
During the event, Google highlighted new multimodal capabilities, enabling users to interact with the Assistant through voice commands, typed queries, or even the camera via Google Lens. In a demonstration, Hsiao showcased a scenario where a group planning a hike with a small dog encountered a trail fork. And when the user captured an image of the trail and asked, “What path do you recommend for a group and my small dog?” the Assistant recommended the North Trail.
“Google Assistant, over the past seven years, has been helping hundreds of millions of people get things done through natural and conversational methods. And now, with generative AI coming, there are new opportunities to deliver an even more intelligent, more personalized, more intuitive digital assistant. And we think it should extend beyond voice,” said Google.
Availability
While Google plans to initially launch this functionality on Pixel 8 and 8 Pro before a broader rollout across Android and iOS, other Pixel phones and select Samsung phones will also gain the ability to activate a conversational overlay, which allows users to engage with Bard based on what’s visible on their screen by long-pressing the power or home button.