Google will ‘supercharge’ Assistant with AI that’s more like ChatGPT and Bard

Google plans to enhance its Assistant with features powered by generative AI, as reported by Axios. In an email obtained by the publication, Google reveals that it is developing a “supercharged” Assistant using large language models (LLM) similar to ChatGPT and Google’s Bard chatbot. The email also mentions that a portion of the team has already begun working on this, starting with mobile devices.

As part of this update, Google is restructuring the Assistant team. The email obtained by Axios mentions that the company is reducing the number of roles, although the exact impact on employees is unknown. Axios reports that Google has laid off dozens of workers. The Verge has reached out to Google for confirmation and will provide updates if available.

Peeyush Ranjan, the vice president of Google Assistant, and Duke Dukellis, the company’s product director, express their commitment to the Assistant’s future in the email, stating that they remain optimistic.

While Google doesn’t provide specific details on the upcoming features for Assistant, there are potential possibilities. Assistant could leverage the same technology as the AI chatbot Bard, enabling it to provide answers based on web-based information.

Google spokesperson Jennifer Rodstrom assures that the company is dedicated to providing high-quality experiences for the hundreds of millions of Assistant users. She also expresses excitement about the potential of LLMs to further enhance Assistant.

The timeline for incorporating this technology into Google’s smart home products remains unclear, and there may be concerns about privacy implications.