Google Integrates Smart Home Routines into Gemini AI
Mountain View, Friday, 16 August 2024.
Google enhances Gemini AI with Google Assistant’s smart home routines, streamlining device management. This upgrade allows users to activate pre-set routines through Gemini, offering a more seamless smart home experience. However, some features like music playback remain unsupported.
Enhanced Smart Home Management
Gemini, Google’s AI assistant, now integrates the well-loved Routines feature from Google Assistant, making smart home management more efficient. Users can now activate pre-set routines with simple voice commands. For instance, saying ‘Start morning routine’ can trigger actions like turning on lights and opening curtains, all in one go. This integration bridges the gap between different smart home devices, making daily tasks more streamlined [1].
How It Works
To leverage these new features, users need to navigate to the settings of Gemini on their smartphone, select ‘Google Assistant features in Gemini,’ and then go to ‘Routines.’ Once set up, these routines can be triggered by voice commands, enabling users to manage their smart home devices more effectively. Despite this advancement, there are limitations, such as the inability to play music or share sleep data through Gemini [1].
User Experience and Feedback
Initial user feedback highlights both the efficiency and limitations of Gemini Live. According to a hands-on review, Gemini Live can execute tasks significantly faster than a manual search, taking only 15 seconds compared to five minutes. However, the assistant’s human-like conversational style has led to mixed reactions, with some users finding it hard to interrupt and perceiving the responses as repetitive and unoriginal [2].
Future Prospects and Continuous Improvements
Google continues to refine Gemini, aiming for deeper integration with Android and more app functionalities. New features include context-aware help, screen interaction, and the ability to drag and drop content directly into apps like Gmail and Google Messages. These enhancements are part of Google’s broader strategy to make AI-powered assistance more helpful and intuitive [3]. Gemini’s rollout to iOS and additional languages is expected in the coming weeks, further broadening its user base [3].