In exciting news for smart home enthusiasts, Google has announced a significant upgrade to its voice assistant technology with the introduction of “Gemini for Home.” This innovative assistant, set to launch later this year, aims to enhance the functionality of Google Home devices, according to a recent company announcement.
Powered by Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence, this new voice assistant will replace the existing Google Assistant on Nest smart speakers and displays. Users will still activate it with the familiar phrase “Hey Google.” The initial rollout is scheduled to begin in October, with an early access program offering both free and paid options. This upgrade promises to streamline hands-free control for various tasks, such as managing smart lighting, playing music, setting timers, and answering inquiries.
This announcement comes at a pivotal time, as Google has made strides in integrating AI capabilities into its mobile offerings. In contrast, its home assistant technology has lagged behind competitors. Amazon’s generative-AI-powered Alexa Plus is already part of millions of households.
Previously, Google’s incremental updates to its home assistant, such as new voice options and enhanced conversational interactions, hinted at forthcoming changes but did not fully transform the user experience. Gemini for Home represents a substantial shift and could mark one of the most important improvements to Google Home since the debut of its first smart display over six years ago.
Anish Kattukaran, Chief Product Officer of Google Home and Nest, emphasized that utilizing Gemini for Home will feel completely new. The new assistant harnesses the advanced reasoning, inference, and search capabilities inherent in Google’s AI models, making for more natural interactions and the ability to tackle complex tasks. This redesign aims to improve understanding of context and nuance, a marked contrast to its predecessor.
With the launch of Gemini for Home, the race is now on for the most reliable and capable smart home assistant
Kattukaran provided examples of Gemini for Home’s capabilities, highlighting its ability to accurately process requests such as “turn off the lights everywhere except my bedroom,” “play that song from this year’s summer blockbuster about race cars,” or “set a timer for perfectly blanched broccoli.” It will facilitate the creation of lists, calendar entries, and reminders with greater ease.
Another notable enhancement is the integration of Gemini Live, which will enable more conversational exchanges without the need to repetitively use the activation phrase. This feature promises to offer more detailed and personalized assistance for tasks ranging from meal preparation to car shopping and household repairs, including generating creative content like bedtime stories.
These enhanced features closely mirror those available through Alexa Plus, which boasts improved home control, kitchen assistance, and problem-solving capabilities. Alexa Plus can also facilitate external services, a competitive edge that adds to the pressure for Google to have a comparable offering. With the unveiling of Gemini for Home, the competition has intensified for the top smart home voice assistant, while Apple still has yet to participate meaningfully in this space.
While Google has not revealed pricing for the premium tier of Gemini for Home, it is likely that advanced features such as Gemini Live will form part of a paid plan. This could echo Amazon’s approach with Alexa Plus, which is bundled with Prime subscriptions. Google might consider integrating it into its Nest Aware or Google One offerings following the recent price increase of Nest Aware to $10 per month, which has not included major feature enhancements.
It’s likely we’ll see new Google Nest hardware this fall
Although Google has committed to launching Gemini for Home in October, a widespread rollout is not expected immediately. The company employs a Public Preview program to assess new features, and access to some Gemini functionalities has previously been restricted to select users. A phased rollout similar to Amazon’s strategy with Alexa Plus is expected to ensure careful deployment of generative AI technology, especially considering its influence over critical devices such as locks and HVAC systems.
The announcement also raises questions regarding Google’s hardware strategy. Since the launch of the Pixel Tablet, there has been no significant update to Google’s smart speakers or displays since 2021. With Gemini for Home set to deliver a substantial upgrade, it seems probable that new hardware will be introduced in conjunction with its launch this fall.
