Don’t let the phone case slam you on your way out, Assistant.
Google‘s transition from Assistant to Gemini marks a significant evolution in the company’s AI strategy, creating disruption for millions of users while promising more advanced capabilities. This shift represents a fundamental reimagining of Google’s voice assistant technology, forcing users to adapt to new features and limitations while potentially leaving some older devices without support. Understanding what’s changing and how it affects different devices is crucial for the millions who rely on Google’s voice assistant technology daily.
The big picture: Google is replacing its nine-year-old Assistant with Gemini, an AI-powered chatbot built on large language models that promises more conversational and personalized interactions.
Key details: Gemini represents a substantial capability upgrade over Google Assistant, leveraging advanced AI to perform more complex tasks and deliver more personalized responses.
What you’ll lose: Google has already discontinued 22 Google Assistant features since last year, with more functionality expected to disappear during the transition.
Device compatibility: Not all devices will be able to use Gemini, creating a potential functionality gap for millions of users.
Why this matters: The shift to Gemini represents Google’s competitive response to advances in AI assistants, but creates disruption for users who rely on specific Google Assistant features that are being discontinued.