Google to Combine Generative AI Chatbot with Virtual Assistant

Ever since OpenAI launched the groundbreaking generative technology ChatGPT, big tech has fiercely competed to develop the next AI-based innovation. The technology was refined and incorporated into existing platforms, with the likes of Meta, Amazon, and Apple following OpenAI’s lead. Google, not to be left behind, has incorporated generative AI technology into its existing products and has recently announced integrations with its native virtual assistant.

The AI Race

Companies like Meta, Netflix, Amazon, Google, Tesla, and Nvidia are heavily investing in AI technology. There are new partnerships, investments, and acquisitions in the industry, all geared toward propelling growth and innovation in AI technology. In the case of the chip maker NVIDIA, there’s a new partnership with Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group. The partnership aims to develop a new class of data centres to power artificial intelligence services. On the other hand, Amazon and other major e-commerce services have also embraced generative AI to form more intelligent product recommendations. 

Read More: How Generative AI Is Creeping Into EV Battery Development: 3 Great Insights

Big Tech and AI

All of the four big tech companies are poised to dominate the AI landscape in years to come. Amazon has the largest one-person consumer-purchase dataset and is expanding AI capabilities. However, it does not have the hardware base to compete effectively with its rivals. Meta, similar to Amazon, has the AI expertise, data, and user reach but seems to be hardware-deficient. On the other hand, Apple’s hardware base is not in question, with an impressive 2 billion devices, all compatible with Siri and well-positioned for integration with large language models. Still, Apple’s generative AI capabilities remain yet to be seen. Google appears to be the best-placed big tech company to dominate the AI landscape in the coming years. It has the end-user base to rival Apple and has crucial existing partnerships that can potentially further its dataset and reach over time. 

Related: ChatGPT’s Enhanced Interactive Functionality in Visualising and Engaging in Conversations

Google Takes the Next Step in Generative AI

Google recently announced the incorporation of generative AI capabilities into its virtual assistant. The technology will allow the Google Virtual Assistant, which is the default virtual assistant on Android phones, to help users carry out things like planning trips and getting to emails. In a hardware event in New York, Google also announced plans to add generative AI features from its Bard chatbot to its virtual assistant. This will help users get more personalised help with generative and reasoning capabilities. 

Conclusion

According to Google’s Vice President, Sissie Hsiao, the move combines Google Assistant’s personalised help with the AI capabilities of the Bard chatbot. Hsiao says Google envisions this new, multimodal assistant as an innovation that goes beyond mere voice queries. It will be capable of responding to voice, text, and image queries and handling a wide variety of tasks. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are the Features of Google’s Upgraded Virtual Assistant?

Google’s upgraded virtual assistant will use generative AI technology to process text, voice, or image queries. The responses will be delivered to users in either voice or text. The technology will be available in beta mode for early users before being fully rolled out after some time. On Android mobile devices, the new virtual assistant will function as either an overly or a standalone full-screen app. Within the iOS platform, it will likely be integrated with one of Google’s native apps. 

What Is Generative AI?

Generative AI is a technology that allows users to generate new content based on text, audio, or visual inputs. The technology uses neural networks to identify various structures and patterns within datasets to generate original content. Generative  AI models can adopt various learning processes, enabling organisations to easily leverage a large amount of unstructured data to create foundation models. These foundation models are then used as the basis for training AI systems to perform multiple tasks. GPT-3, which runs on the popular app ChatGPT, is an example of a foundation model. 

What Is the Future of AI?

AI technology is poised to speed up the tempo of engagements with large institutions. With the implementation of AI into decision-making processes, businesses, non-profits, government units, and other organisations will be able to make quicker decisions. Furthermore, societal ethical commitments will be strongly tested by AI systems in the aspect of privacy. As more AI models are trained on vast amounts of data, the commitment to data protection and privacy will be severely tested.