Google is developing a new artificial intelligence system, so far bypassing Google Assistant. According to The Information, Google is reportedly developing a new artificial intelligence assistant named “Pixie” that will be available only on Pixel devices.
The new “Gemini” AI model from Google is said to represent Pixie’s brains. According to the rumor, the Pixel 9 would be the first to support Pixie: “Eventually, Google wants to bring the features to its lower-end phones and devices like its watch.”
In light of the recent influx of massive language models, reports indicate that both Google and Amazon want to relaunch their voice assistants. Neither firm has officially announced how a big language model will benefit a voice assistant just yet, as both are still in the rumor phase.
The common gripes these days revolve around reaction time and accuracy of speech recognition, neither of which seem like they would be helped by a language model. The market will decide if people want to hear a synthetic robot read out a paragraph-long response, but massive language models should make it possible to provide longer-form, more detailed answers to questions.
“Glasses that could make use of the AI’s ability to recognize the objects a wearer is seeing.” is another feature that could be built by Google, according to the study. Many Google eyewear initiatives have come and gone, including Project Iris and Google Glass.
The Pixel 9 might come with exclusive “Pixie” AI assistant https://t.co/xpkcsz24Xi
— Victoria❣️ Life of V (@LifeofV42) December 16, 2023
This adjustment exemplifies Google’s pivot during the last decade regarding AI helpers. At one point, it wanted Google Assistant to be accessible everywhere since it saw it as Google Search’s future.
At one point, Google Assistant was a solid product that worked with all Android phones, the Google app on iOS, and a plethora of dedicated hardware, such as the Google Home/Nest Audio speakers, smart displays, and more. However, Google Assistant was never profitable. There was a buildup of continuing expenses for voice processing, software was handed out to partners, and all hardware was sold at cost.
Ads never generated enough money to cover the cost of the Google Assistant. Just like every other company, Amazon has not yet found a way to turn voice assistants into a viable venture with Alexa.
Considering the financial burden of Google Assistant, a previous report from The Information stated that Google intends to “invest less in developing its Google Assistant voice-assisted search for cars and for devices not made by Google, including TVs, headphones, smart-home speakers, smart glasses and smartwatches that use Google’s Wear.”
According to the earlier source, Google believes that its own hardware will offer the strongest defense against regulators who are threatening the search deals on Android partner devices and iPhones. As a result, the firm plans to double down on its own hardware. “We’re going to take on the iPhone” seems to be the current, unbelievable mentality at Google, as stated in this story.
One example would be if Google made the next-generation Assistant available only on the Pixel 9. If the selling of phone hardware could somehow resolve or at least cover the ongoing financial issue, that would be great. The current Google Assistant was initially designed to be shared among Google’s partners and the first Pixel, but according to The Information, that isn’t the case this time around.
However, that might always change. When Google’s AI assistant No. 2 launches, the fate of Google Assistant, the current top AI assistant, is uncertain; yet, its demise seems inevitable. Aside from saving money, it would also remove Google Assistant from users’ devices.
Google Hardware is a relatively small organization that hasn’t been able to sustain such ambitious goals in the past, so doubling down on hardware is a concern. No Google cars, TVs, or smart glasses are in the works, however the report does mention that they are in the works.
This brings us back to the comment about third-party products. Every year, Google’s current hardware isn’t always top-notch. On other years, Google will abandon certain product lines (laptops, tablets) after an extremely lengthy period of no updates.
Additionally, Google Hardware is often only available in a small fraction of the world—roughly thirteen nations. By using third-party devices, you can avoid all of this. If you lock everything down to your hardware, you eliminate Google’s former strength: its accessible ecosystem.
You can check our recent posts related technology: