ALBAWABA - Google is gearing up to enhance its Assistant with features powered by generative AI, according to a report from Axios. The tech giant has already begun exploring a "supercharged" Assistant driven by the latest large language models (LLM), similar to those behind ChatGPT and Google's own Bard chatbot. The new features are expected to improve Assistant's capabilities, and the initial development is focused on mobile platforms.
As part of this initiative, Google is reorganizing its Assistant team and streamlining its workforce. While the company confirmed the reorganization, the exact number of affected employees remains unclear. According to Axios, "dozens" of workers have been laid off, but Google has not provided detailed information on the matter.
In an email obtained by Axios, Peeyush Ranjan, Vice President of Google Assistant, and Duke Dukellis, the company's Product Director, express their excitement about exploring the potential of LLMs in improving Assistant's performance. However, specific details about the new features are yet to be disclosed.
One possibility is that Assistant could leverage the same AI chatbot technology as Bard, allowing it to provide more comprehensive and accurate answers to user queries by analyzing information from various sources on the web.
Despite Google's commitment to enhancing Assistant, concerns over potential privacy implications arise with the integration of LLM technology. As Google delves further into this project, the company needs to address user privacy concerns and ensure that the new features maintain the high-quality user experience that millions have come to expect from Assistant.
