Google to Utilize AI to Enhance Assistant Functionality
According to an internal email obtained by Axios, Google is currently developing a new version of its Assistant that will incorporate generative AI technology. This move reflects the growing competition among companies to enhance their digital assistants, which often serve as people’s initial encounter with AI companions.
Google Assistant Vice President Peeyush Ranjan and Chief Product Officer Duke Dukellis explained their rationale to employees, stating, “As a team, we need to focus on delivering high-quality and mission-critical product experiences for our users. We’ve also seen the potential of deep generative AI to change people’s lives and see a huge opportunity to explore how the latest LLM technology supercharged Assistant would appear.”
Notably, the email revealed that Google is already working on doing this for mobile devices. There’s no timeline set for when Google will integrate this technology into its smart home devices, or what these new updates will look like. The company might use Bard, its AI chatbot, to chat with Assistant users, or try something completely original.
Whatever Googlers are working on will cause internal redefinitions, such as merging the Surfaces and Services teams into one. The company is also laying off a “small” number of employees, but did not disclose the exact number.
