Google Assistant is the artificial intelligence system found in Google’s products. Android , Google Home , Wear OS and Android TV, as well as devices from third-party manufacturers include this artificial intelligence assistant.
In line with Amazon’s artificial intelligence assistant Alexa or Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant is not Google’s first attempt in this area. Google Assistant was already available via voice recognition on compatible devices.
Introduced in 2016, Google Assistant offers a conversational dimension that can engage with the user and understand natural language. It can recognize up to six different voices and associate them with their respective Google accounts.
Google Assistant is built into the latest Android smartphones and can communicate with the user via voice or instant messaging type interaction. It’s also found in the publisher’s Google Home lineup, a set of connected speakers that compete with the Amazon Echo or Apple HomePod.
Since then, Google has expanded the presence of Google Assistant to the system of connected watches, Wear OS by Google (Android Wear), and Android TV, its interface for connected TVs. More recently, Google introduced Smart Displays, home devices with a display that can visually complement the information given by the Google Assistant.
Google Assistant features
Google Assistant offers a range of features comparable to those offered by Amazon Alexa or Siri. The assistant can manage simple requests (weather, the schedule of the day, etc.), answer questions, tell stories or jokes, or even inform about traffic or opening hours of shops or restaurants.
Like Alexa, Google Assistant integrates with many services and products, including connected objects (light bulbs, thermostats, sockets, video surveillance cameras, etc.). The Google Home application, available for Android and iOS, works as a “centre” to control the devices in your home.
Google Assistant-enabled devices integrate into the Google Cast ecosystem alongside Android TV-enabled televisions and boxes or Chromecast sticks to stream audio and video to any room.
