Google has made several interesting announcements today pertaining to its AI, Assistant. The company has stated that U.S. users will be getting Routines in the coming weeks, and that users around the world will be able to set location-based reminders right from their Google Home speakers, in preparation for when they go out. Additionally, Google announced the Assistant Mobile OEM program and the Assistant Carrier program.
With Routines, U.S. customers will be able to issue a single command to get multiple things done; for example, if you tell Assistant that you’re home, it can set about switching on lights, reminding you about any home reminders, play your favourite music, and more. You can set up to six routines at once.
Another new addition on their way are location-based reminders, Google says:
“You can already set reminders based on a location with the Assistant on your phone. In the coming weeks, you’ll also be able to set them with your speaker. Want to make sure you pick up the milk at the grocery store? All you have to do is ask the Assistant on your smart speaker, like Google Home – and when you get to the store, the Assistant on your phone will remind you.”
Aside from those two new features, Google wants to make Assistant work better on third-party Android devices, and it wants to allow mobile carriers to tie their services into the platform to keep you more informed about the services that you consume.
With the Assistant Mobile OEM program, OEMs can build deeper integrations between the device’s features and Assistant, using natural language understanding and the conversational abilities of Assistant. OEMs are expected to launch their devices with specific commands for their devices alone, and some may ship with hardware-based AI chips that ensure that Assistant can be called while the screen is off. OEMs which have worked with Google include LG, Sony Mobile, and Xiaomi.
Lastly, with the Assistant Carrier program, mobile carriers will be able to provide customers with more information on their services via Assistant. It’ll allow carriers to help people learn more about their plan, add new services (like international data roaming), and get customer support. Carriers that are already developing these capabilities include Sprint, Koodo, Telus, and Vodafone.
Source: Google