At today's Pixel 9 series launch event, Google introduced Gemini Live, its new AI voice assistant. Directly competing with OpenAI's ChatGPT's recently launched Advanced Voice mode, Gemini Live is designed to facilitate more coherent, emotionally expressive, and realistic multi-turn conversations.
Gemini Live supports hands-free operation and can run continuously in the background. It allows users to engage in free-flowing conversations with Gemini, similar to interacting with a real person. Users can interrupt Gemini's responses at any time, delve deeper into specific topics, or pause the conversation without losing context and resume later. This experience makes AI interactions more intuitive and flexible, akin to conversing with a real-time assistant.
In a demonstration, Google showcased a scenario where a user interacts with a hiring manager (or AI, depending on the context) and receives recommendations on presentation skills and optimization advice.
A Google spokesperson stated:
"Gemini Live leverages our Gemini Advanced model, which has been fine-tuned to enhance its conversational abilities. When users engage in extended dialogues with Live, the model's long context window is utilized."
Gemini Live
Gemini Live is now available to English-speaking Gemini Advanced subscribers starting today.
Enjoy natural, continuous conversations: Chat with Gemini as seamlessly as you would with a friend. Interrupt, delve deeper into topics, or pause and resume at your convenience.
Hands-free convenience: Gemini Live supports hands-free use, allowing you to continue conversations even when your phone is locked or other apps are running.
Diverse voice options: Choose from 10 new voice options to find the perfect tone and style for your conversations.
Cross-platform compatibility: Gemini Live is initially launching on Android, with iOS and additional languages coming in the next few weeks.
Cross-platform compatibility of Gemini Live
Gemini Live: A Deep Dive
Gemini Live offers a revolutionary conversational experience that feels more like chatting with a friend than interacting with an AI. Here's a breakdown of its standout features:
1. Free-flowing Conversations
Enjoy natural, uninterrupted dialogues with Gemini. Pause, resume, or delve deeper into any topic at any time without losing context. It's like having a real-time assistant at your fingertips.
2. Hands-free Convenience
Keep the conversation going, even when your phone is locked or you're using other apps. Gemini Live supports hands-free operation, allowing you to chat as seamlessly as you would on a phone call.
3. Personalized Voices
Choose from 10 new voice options to tailor Gemini to your preferences. Whether you prefer a friendly or formal tone, there's a voice that's perfect for you.
4. Cross-Platform Compatibility
Initially available for Android users with a Gemini Premium subscription, Gemini Live will soon expand to iOS and support additional languages.
5. Deep Integration and Expansion
Beyond core conversation capabilities, Gemini Live seamlessly integrates with popular Google apps like Keep, Tasks, Utilities, and YouTube Music. Need to extract recipe ingredients from an email and add them to your shopping list? Or create a nostalgia-inducing playlist? Gemini can handle it.
Imagine hosting a dinner party: Ask Gemini to find Jenny's lasagna recipe in your Gmail and add the ingredients to your Keep shopping list. Since your guests are old college friends, you can simply say, "Create a playlist with songs that remind me of the late 90s." Gemini understands your needs and delivers.
Gemini Live
For example, with the upcoming calendar extension, you'll be able to snap a concert poster and ask Gemini if you're free that day—you can even set a reminder to buy tickets.
Additionally, with deep integration into Android, it can not only read your screen but also interact with many of the apps you already use.
You can also directly drag and drop images generated by Gemini into apps like Gmail and Google Messages.
Gemini: A Seamless Android Experience
Gemini is fully integrated into the Android user experience, offering a plethora of context-aware features exclusive to the Android platform. No matter what you're doing on your Android phone, Gemini is ready to assist. Simply long-press the power button or say "Hey Google," and Gemini is at your service.
Contextual Assistance at Your Fingertips
For instance, you can tap the "Ask about this screen" option when using your phone, and Gemini will provide assistance based on the content displayed. While watching YouTube, ask Gemini questions about the video you're viewing. For example, if you're planning an international trip and have just watched a travel video, tap "Ask about this video" to request Gemini to list all the restaurants mentioned in the video and add them to Google Maps. This deep integration enables Gemini to provide more intelligent and personalized assistance in your daily routines.
Multimodal Input on the Horizon
While Gemini Live doesn't yet possess one of the features Google showcased at its I/O conference - multimodal input - the potential is immense. In a pre-recorded video released in May, Google demonstrated Gemini Live's ability to understand the world around you through your phone's camera, identifying objects like bike parts or explaining code snippets on your computer screen.
Google has confirmed that multimodal input will be rolled out "later this year" but has declined to provide specific details.
