Google has introduced Gemini Live, a new conversational voice assistant designed to compete directly with OpenAI’s Voice Mode. Available through the Gemini app on both Android and iOS, this feature allows users to interact with AI using their voice, making tasks like managing shopping lists or summarizing emails more intuitive and conversational.
Powered by Google’s Gemini 1.5 Flash model, the Live feature offers responses in a variety of ten generated voices. Users can engage with the AI even while switching between apps or when their phone is locked, creating an experience similar to a phone call. This deep integration with Android allows Gemini to interact with multiple apps, enhancing its usability beyond just voice responses.
Sissie Hsiao, Google’s general manager for Gemini experiences and Google Assistant, highlighted the evolution of AI-powered mobile assistance: “With Gemini, we’re reimagining what it means for a personal assistant to be truly helpful...all while being more natural, conversational, and intuitive.”
Currently available in English to Gemini Advanced subscribers on Android, the feature will soon be expanded to iOS and other languages. Gemini Advanced subscribers can enjoy a free trial for the first month, followed by a $20 monthly subscription. This subscription also grants access to the more powerful Gemini 1.5 Pro model, which supports extensive data inputs, additional storage, and integration with Google Workspace applications.
Gemini Live is set to receive further enhancements, including interoperability with other Google apps like YouTube Music, allowing users to create playlists through voice prompts. Calendar support will also be added, enabling the chatbot to manage reminders for upcoming events.
As part of its ongoing development, Google aims to improve the speed and quality of Gemini Live’s responses, leveraging the capabilities of the 1.5 Flash model, which, despite being smaller than the flagship 1.5 Pro model, still maintains a substantial context window for handling large data inputs.
This launch comes as OpenAI rolls out improvements to ChatGPT’s audio feature with the GPT-4o model, enhancing its voice functionality. While some may view Gemini Live as a response to ChatGPT’s Voice Mode, Google has been developing similar capabilities for some time, with a conversational agent teased earlier this year under the codename Project Astra.
Gemini Live provides a glimpse into Google’s vision for the future of AI-powered personal assistance, setting the stage for further innovations in the rapidly evolving field of conversational AI.
