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Tag: Google Assistant

  • Google Gemini will arrive in GM cars starting next year

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    Google Gemini is coming to GM vehicles in 2026. The company will be integrating a conversational AI assistant powered by Google’s platform into many of its cars, trucks and SUVs.

    GM says this assistant will be able to access vehicle data to suss out maintenance concerns, alerting the driver when necessary. The company also promises it’ll be able to help plan routes and explain various features of the car. It should also be able to do stuff like turn on the heat or air conditioning, even before entering the vehicle.

    This will replace the “Google built-in” operating system that already exists in many GM vehicles. This OS already offers access to stuff like Google Maps, Google Assistant and related apps. The upcoming Gemini-based chat assistant will do the same type of things, but it should perform better.

    “One of the challenges with current voice assistants is that, if you’ve used the, you’ve probably also been frustrated by them because they’re trained on certain code words or they don’t understand accents very well or if you don’t say it quite right, you don’t get the right response,” GM VP Dave Richardson told TechCrunch. “What’s great about large language models is they don’t seem to be affected by that.”

    One brand-new feature that Gemini will bring to the table is web integration. This will let drivers ask the chatbot questions pertaining to geographic location and the like. GM gives an example of someone asking about the history of a bridge they are passing over.

    The Gemini assistant will be available via the Play Store after launch as an over-the-air upgrade to Onstar-equipped vehicles. It won’t be limited to newer releases, as GM says it’ll work with vehicles from the model year 2015 and above. The company also says it’s working on its own AI chatbot that has been “custom-built for your vehicle.” There’s no timetable on that one.

    GM ran into hot water recently when it was found that it had been selling some customer information sourced from its OnStar Smart Driver program to insurance companies without user consent. This led to the FTC banning the company from selling any driver data for five years. Richardson says the Gemini integration will be privacy-focused and the software will let drivers control what information it can access and use.

    The company made these announcements at the GM Forward media event, where it also discussed other forthcoming initiatives. It has scheduled a rollout of its self-driving platform for 2028. It’s also developing its own computing platform, also launching in 2028. This does mean that GM will be sunsetting integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This software will be phased out over the next few years.

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    Lawrence Bonk

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  • Gemini arrives on Google TV

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    Gemini is officially available on Google TVs, now that the TCL QM9K series TVs are out in stores. At the moment, they’re the only television models that feature Google’s AI assistant, but Gemini will be available on more devices later this year. Google says it will make its way to the Google TV Streamer, Walmart’s onn 4K Pro streaming device, certain Hisense TV models and more TCL TVs. The company also intends to add more Gemini capabilities for televisions in the future.

    Google introduced Gemini integration for TVs when it presented an early look at new software and hardware upgrades coming to the product category at CES in January. If you’ve ever used a Google-powered streaming device or television, you’d know that they already have Google Assistant that you can use for search. But Gemini on TV, like its counterpart everywhere else, enables free-flowing conversations using natural language. You can activate it with a “Hey, Google” or by pressing the mic button on the remote.

    The company says you can ask Gemini to find you something to watch based on your preferences. For example, you can say: “Find me something to watch with my wife. I like dramas, but she likes lighthearted comedies.” You can also ask it to summarize the events in the previous season of a show you’re watching if you need a refresher before you start the next one. You can also ask Gemini to show you reviews for a particular show, or even ask it vague questions, such as “What’s the new hospital drama everyone’s talking about?”

    You’re not just limited to asking questions about TV shows and movies, either. When Google demonstrated the AI assistant at CES, a company rep asked Gemini on TV to “explain the solar system to a third grader.” The AI assistant did, and it also suggested relevant YouTube videos. You can ask it questions if you’re learning a new skill, as well as recipes, to get answers with video suggestions you can follow. And after it’s done answering your first query, you can make follow-up questions for clarity and more information.

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    Mariella Moon

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  • Google doesn’t have to sell Chrome, judge in monopoly case rules

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    Google will not have to divest its Chrome browser but will have to change some of its business practices, a federal judge has ruled. The ruling comes more than a year after the same judge ruled that Google had acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in internet search.

    Following the ruling last year, the Department of Justice had proposed that Google should be forced to sell Chrome. But in a 230-page decision, Judge Amit Mehta said the government had “overreached” in its request. “Google will not be required to divest Chrome; nor will the court include a contingent divestiture of the Android operating system in the final judgment,” Mehta wrote. “Plaintiffs overreached in seeking forced divesture of these key assets, which Google did not use to effect any illegal restraints.”

    Google will, however, no longer be permitted to strike exclusive deals around the distribution of search, Google Assistant, Gemini or Chrome, Mehta ruled. For example, Google can’t require device makers to pre-load its apps in order to get access to the Play Store. It also can’t condition revenue-sharing arrangements on the placement of its apps. But Google will be able to continue to pay partners — like Apple — for pre-loading search and other apps into their products. Mehta said that ending these arrangements could cause “downstream harms to distribution partners, related markets, and consumers.”

    Mehta also ruled that Google will need to share some of its search data with competitors going forward. “Making data available to competitors would narrow the scale gap created by Google’s exclusive distribution agreements and, in turn, the quality gap that followed,” he wrote. The company is not required to hand over data related to its ads.

    Mehta’s ruling is largely a win for the search giant, which had argued that divesting Chrome or Android “would harm Americans and America’s global technology leadership.” In a statement Tuesday, Google said it had “concerns” about some aspects of the ruling.

    “Today’s decision recognizes how much the industry has changed through the advent of AI, which is giving people so many more ways to find information,” the company said. “Now the Court has imposed limits on how we distribute Google services, and will require us to share Search data with rivals. We have concerns about how these requirements will impact our users and their privacy, and we’re reviewing the decision closely.”

    The company previously indicated it plans to appeal Mehta’s original decision, but said in June it would wait for a final decision in the case.

    Update, September 2, 2025, 4:28PM PT: This post has been updated to add a statement from Google on the ruling.

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    Karissa Bell

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  • Is this Google’s first Gemini-powered smart speaker?

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    Google held its annual Made by Google showcase this week, during which it unveiled the latest Pixel phones and various new AI features. What it didn’t announce is a Gemini-powered smart home speaker, but it might have snuck one into the presentation as an easter egg.

    As spotted by The Verge, about 15 minutes into the stream, on a table next to F1 driver Lando Norris during a Gemini demonstration, you can clearly see what looks a lot like a smart speaker. The fabric-wrapped device we see in the video is white with a light around its base, and it looks more like an upside down HomePod mini than any of Google’s other speakers. According to Android Headlines, it’s called the Google Home Speaker, and is unsurprisingly powered by Gemini.

    Android Headlines claims to have seen more images of the as-yet unannounced smart speaker, which it says will also be available in red, light green and black. It adds that Google’s Gemini Live AI assistant will be a baked-in feature for voice conversations, though without a screen or camera there’s no visual element here. There could also be new natural voice options on the speaker, as well as standard features like media control and smart home automations. It can reportedly also detect unusual sounds like breaking glass or smoke alarms and can send an alert to your phone or tablet if this happens.

    According to the Android Headlines report, the Home Speaker can pair with a Google TV Streamer and double as an additional surround sound speaker, much like the HomePod does with Apple TV. It functions as a smart hub too, with support for Matter. Google announced Gemini for Home this week, which will gradually replace Google Assistant on the company’s existing smart devices, with free and paid tiers offered to users.

    What the leak doesn’t contain is a launch date for this mysterious speaker. But given that Google was seemingly happy enough to have one sitting there in its most important keynote of the year, the smart money would be on an official reveal pretty soon. Engadget reached out to Google for comment, but the company said it had nothing to share at this time.

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    Matt Tate

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  • Now You Can Message Google Gemini From Any Android Phone

    Now You Can Message Google Gemini From Any Android Phone

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    You, too, can have your own RCS chat with Google Gemini.
    Image: Google

    Android is becoming the platform of AI fever dreams. At this year’s MWC, an overseas tradeshow where Google typically has a booth to remind the world that its mobile platform is global, the Android maker has announced new ways to interact with Gemini from inside Google Messages as if Gemini were just another buddy.

    No Google AI Search, I Don’t Need to Learn About the “Benefits of Slavery”

    Beginning this week, Google will roll out the ability to access Gemini right from within Google Messages on any Android device. It’s called Chat with Gemini, and like a chatbot in apps like Slack, you’ll be able to dialogue with it to draft messages, plan events, and pin ideas. You won’t have to install the Gemini app to access this feature.

    Even if you don’t plan to interact with Gemini, more AI infusions are coming to an Android device near you. For those who use Android Auto behind the wheel, your car can summarize long texts and noisy group chats. The AI will also talk you through possible replies and other things you can do as you keep your eyes on the road. But speaking from experience, I hope this won’t be one of those interactions that require you to enunciate directly.

    Lookout on Android, a built-in feature geared toward blind and low-vision users, will now offer auto-generated AI descriptions of photos and images that come through with messages. There’s also enhanced screen reader support for Lens inside Maps, so when you point your AR camera at a building or storefront, TalkBack will dictate what’s ahead and its entry into Google Maps.

    Android watch wearers, first, let me say it’s nice to have you here. You should know that Google will allow you to access tickets, passes, and other necessary wallet staples from your wrist in the next Wear OS update. Transit directions will also be available soon, making it much easier to recall the train or bus you’re supposed to catch without taking out your phone.

    Health Connect is the last portion of this mini-news maelstrom. This latest update pipes in all your third-party health data from apps like AllTrails and MyFitnessPal and aggregates them into the Today tab in the Fitbit app. I’m curious about what’s going on with this particular data-sharing suite since Google rolled it out last year. I’ll be testing this more closely as it rolls out.

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    Florence Ion

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