Google has announced that it will be phasing out Google Assistant in favor of its AI-powered assistant, Gemini, marking a significant shift in its digital assistant strategy.
The tech giant made the announcement in a blog post, emphasizing that generative AI is transforming how people interact with technology.
The transition, set to occur over the coming months, to enhance user experience with advanced generative AI capabilities.
“Over the coming months, we’re upgrading more users on mobile devices from Google Assistant to Gemini; and later this year, the classic Google Assistant will no longer be accessible on most mobile devices or available for new downloads on mobile app stores,” the company revealed.
The company now sees AI-powered enhancements as the next step in making assistants even more useful.
“We believe an assistant should be personal to you, and aware of the world around you. It should be able to interact with the apps and services you already use. And it should make you more productive, more creative and a bit more curious.
“Nearly a decade later, we’re in the midst of another platform shift — this time, generative AI is transforming the way we interact with technology,” Google stated.
Google plans to introduce a Gemini-powered experience for home devices with more details to come in the coming months. Meanwhile Google Assistant will remain functional on these devices for now.
“We’re also bringing a new experience, powered by Gemini, to home devices like speakers, displays and TVs. We look forward to sharing more details with you in the next few months. Until then, Google Assistant will continue to operate on these devices,” Google confirmed.
Reports indicate that older Android phones (running Android 9 or earlier) and devices with less than 2GB of RAM will not be forced to upgrade to Gemini. Instead, they will still have access to the classic Google Assistant, even after it is phased out for most users.
Essentially, Google is not discontinuing Assistant on these lower-end devices, possibly because they may not support Gemini’s AI-powered features effectively.