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Google Bard is now Google Gemini. This is a major rebrand that follows the testing and perfecting of all of Google’s latest AI technology, to the point where the company is finally ready to make it more widely available.
However, this isn’t Google’s first smart service. It’s also not the first smart service we interact with directly. That would be Google Assistant, a piece of software that people both hate and love.
So what does Google Gemini mean for Google Assistant? Do you need to relearn how to tell your phone to turn on the kitchen lights?
Nothing changes for now
If you choose to install the Gemini app on your phone, it will tell you that you can use it instead of Assistant if you want to opt-in. There’s no need to do this. To be honest, in my very limited testing after doing this, I didn’t see much of a difference.
I have two phones and two Google accounts, so one is running the old Google Assistant and the other is running the new Google Gemini. They can both do the same thing equally well, and they can do the same thing equally poorly. The new codebase does not solve all problems.
What’s interesting is that you can still use Assistant and nothing has changed. As of today, the Assistant exists as before, probably still using last-generation AI processing to determine what it’s listening to and what it needs to do in response. .
Bard is now Gemini, and Duet AI, the software that powers AI tools for the cloud and Google Workspace, will soon become “Gemini for Google Workspace and Google Cloud” because all the good names have been taken.
That said, an assistant is still an assistant. But it probably won’t last long.
change is inevitable
Gemini runs on a different software platform than previous Google products that leverage AI, but that doesn’t mean anything has been abandoned. Our efforts to improve functionality and speed never stop, and eventually we reach a point where we have to stop adding to the old and move forward. Almost all software works this way, and Windows 11 is 20 years worth of work on top of Windows 98.
Like Windows 98 (or MacOS Google Assistant is at that stage today, along with his AI features in search and Gmail. I’m hopeful that Google won’t spend any more time or money improving and continuing to develop one of their discontinued products when a better product becomes available.
The inclusion of dedicated Gemini apps for Android and iOS makes this point clear. The app is every bit as good as a responsive, highly mobile-friendly web page. If Google had bundled this software into its mobile app package and had no plans to eventually replace Assistant, this software would be 100% unnecessary.
However, because it resides on the device in app form, it can take advantage of on-device processing and perform processing without a mobile connection. Things like helping someone write a business letter or turning on the lights in the kitchen. You can’t replace the Assistant without running local code, so it exists to run local code on devices with compatible processors.
Another reason why it’s a promising replacement for Assistant is that it seems very natural to monetize everything. Thanks to Open AI and Microsoft, we’ve become accustomed to subscription models where you pay for the privilege of providing data, so it’s a good idea for Google to follow suit and make even more money through something called Gemini Advanced. It was natural.
Gemini’s advanced features are locked behind a paywall through Google One. For an extra $10 a month, you can do more today. As new features become available, we expect most of them to be part of the premium plan.
You can monetize the new platform while keeping the old one, but it takes more time and effort. Since time and effort are directly linked to profits, there is no doubt that an assistant’s lifespan is short-lived.
Importantly, the Assistant isn’t going anywhere, and Google hasn’t said anything about retiring it. You can install the Gemini app and use it instead, but you don’t have to.
Google said in its product description that Gemini can already do much of what Assistant does on your phone. They say that beyond basic functionality, Gemini will eventually become a complete replacement that handles all tasks in a way that is familiar to users. Since Gemini is more powerful, new features may also be added.
For other devices, like smart displays and TVs, Google plans to “continue to improve Assistant features,” but it doesn’t use the term Gemini here. This news seems to be centered around smartphones.
However, don’t expect things to stay this way forever. If Google is satisfied that Gemini effectively replaces Assistant, the company will definitely do it. Fortunately, you probably won’t notice any difference and don’t need to prepare anything.
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