According to Axios (via 9to5Google), Google has internally announced its plans to update Google Assistant using the latest large language model (LLM) technology. Currently, Bard, an AI experiment by Google, is powered by PaLM 2, Google’s most advanced LLM, indicating that the tech giant may adopt similar technology for its virtual assistant.
The internal e-mail shared by Axios reveals that the company has already begun working on the update, starting with the mobile version of Google Assistant. This update could potentially transform the way Google Assistant operates, offering new possibilities for users, developers, and Google’s own team.
According to the e-mail, Google has “seen the profound potential of generative AI to transform people’s lives and see a huge opportunity to explore what a supercharged Assistant, powered by the latest LLM technology, would look like.”
In addition to the technical changes, the e-mail also reveals some structural ones within the teams working on Google Assistant, and there are reports of employee layoffs due to these changes. However, according to the e-mail, Google is “deeply committed” to its Assistant and optimistic about its “bright future.”
Google Assistant boasts more than 500 million monthly users worldwide, but it has not received any big updates recently. However, with the ongoing developments, the Assistant is expected to gain new features and functionalities, as hinted by the internal e-mail referring to the future Assistant as “supercharged.”
I suppose that “supercharged” is the latest trend in Google’s AI development, given that Bard is also introduced as “your creative and helpful collaborator, here to supercharge your imagination, boost your productivity, and bring your ideas to life.”
