
the AI industry was in a period of gradual progress before the generative AI trend disrupted it, and accelerated its growth.
Following OpenAI's introduction of ChatGPT, pretty much all tech companies, large and small, started adopting, or developing their own solutions, and race forward towards supremacy. And among the many, include Google.
The tech titan has what it calls 'Gemini,' an AI it hopes can help maintain its dominance in the post-search future.
Gemini has a number of variants, and this time, Google is introducing yet another variant.
Google calls it the 'Gemini Live', and that it's making it available for free for Android users.
We're starting to roll out Gemini Live in English to more people using the Android app, free of charge. Go Live to talk things out with Gemini, explore a new topic, or brainstorm ideas. Keep an eye out for Gemini Live in the Gemini app pic.twitter.com/0VL0c7E6Gw
— Google Gemini App (@GeminiApp) September 12, 2024
Designed as a response to ChatGPT's GPT-4o Voice Mode, Google claims that it is "like having a sidekick in your pocket."
Gemini Live is a mobile conversational experience that lets users have free-flowing conversations with Gemini, as explained by Sissie Hsiao, vice president and general manager, Gemini experiences and Google Assistant.
The AI assistant lets users interrupt in midsentence to request additional details, pause a conversation and come back to it later, and keep talking with it in the background or when the phone is locked.
And because it's Google's, it's integrated to all of Google apps and tools.
What this means, Gemini Live that is fully integrated into the Android user experience, has more context-aware capabilities that rivals could ever be on the operating system.
Unlike ChatGPT or others, users on Android can use Gemini without having to switch between apps and services.
What's more, all Google extensions like Keep, Tasks and Utilities are compatible with Gemini and this lets users multitask like never before.
For example, users can ask Gemini Live to search Google for a fish recipe, and then ask it to save the ingredients to Keep. Or, users can easily ask Gemini to find a travel video on YouTube and then ask it to save all the restaurants mentioned in the video to your Google Maps.
At this time, Gemini Live is audio-only, with Google planning for multimodal capabilities upgrade when it's ready.
You can now explore up to 10 different voices with Gemini Live *and* change up your selection at any time. Take a listen here or in the app and let us know your favorite(s) in the replies. pic.twitter.com/ZflSi7n4NR
— Google Gemini App (@GeminiApp) September 17, 2024
To use Gemini Live, users must update or download the Gemini app from the Google Play Store, and then activate Live Voice Mode by tapping the waveform icon. From there, users should be able to control the conversation with options to "hold" or "end" responses as needed.
Gemini Live is initially available in English.
Google then announced that users can choose from 10 preset voices for Gemini Live, meaning that users can pick a tone and style that suits them.
It also has a handsfree mode, which should allow users to talk to Gemini in the background or when the phone is locked and inside their pocket.
This allows conversations on the go so it feels just like a regular phone call.
Read: OpenAI ChatGPT ‘Advanced Voice Mode’ Breathes To Speak: Next Level Anthropomorphism
This interactive voice mode isn’t just for casual conversation.
The idea of utilizing LLM is to allow a dynamic back-and-forth exchange where users can clarify ideas, ask follow-up questions, and refine their thoughts as they go. This could be a game-changer for writers struggling with creative blocks, for example, or for students cramming for exams, or professionals brainstorming complex problems.
And by making it sound human, Google practically makes users conversations with Gemini Live more organic, giving the experience that users are talking to human and not some mere machine.
As Google continues to dive deeper into Large Language Models, the company is evolving the technology in a bid to provide AI-powered mobile assistance while also remaining natural, conversational and intuitive.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, is very excited about the launch.
"I believe the transition we are seeing right now with AI will be the most profound in our lifetimes, far bigger than the shift to mobile or to the web before it. AI has the potential to create opportunities — from the everyday to the extraordinary — for people everywhere," he said.
Read: ChatGPT Has A Scarlett Johansson Problem: 'Shocked, Angered And In Disbelief'