On Wednesday, Google revealed plans to add generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to its virtual assistant. A company executive told Reuters that the AI would make it possible for the assistant to perform things such as help customers plan trips or catch up on emails and then ask follow-up questions.
During its hardware event in New York, the Alphabet (GOOGL.O) subsidiary announced that it intends to include generative AI characteristics from its Bard chatbot into Google’s version of a virtual assistant. This version of the virtual assistant seeks to deliver tailored assistance on mobile devices that is supported by reasoning and generative skills.
“(A) whole task is done through a couple of simple questions that you’re asking your assistant,” Sissie Hsiao, vice president of Google Assistant and Bard, said in an interview with Reuters. “We think this is a very, very powerful concept,” she said.
There has been a race among tech companies, including Google, to include generative AI into their new or current businesses. This year, increased attempts have been made by several companies, including Meta Platforms (META.O), Amazon.com (AMZN.O), and Microsoft (MSFT.O).
According to Hsiao, the upcoming iteration of Google Assistant will have access to the camera and microphone of a user’s mobile device, and it will let users enter images or sounds into a huge language model to receive assistance with answering inquiries. Hsiao says it will not include features that generate income since Google is still in the “learning phase” with generative AI. This is why it will not include these features.
“We want to learn how to make a great experience out of this,” said the vice president of Google’s consumer products division.
Google has stated that the updated software will “soon” be made accessible to the trusted testers in its program, but the company has not disclosed when it will be made available to the wider public. The business intends to launch a version compatible with Google’s (GOOGL) Android and Apple’s (AAPL.O) iOS mobile operating system.