Google Announces the Google Assistant
May 18, 2016, 12:17 PM by Eric M. Zeman
updated May 18, 2016, 12:29 PM
Google today announced the Google Assistant, a conversational assistant with two-way dialog capabilities meant to help people search and find answers. The Assistant takes what Google Now can already do to a new level. Google says it already handles vast amounts of voice search every day. The product, meant to compete more directly with Siri, Cortana, and Alexa, was announced on stage during the Google I/O developer conference. Google Assistant can answer questions about movie play times and eventually buy tickets through the conversation. "We like to think of Google Assistant as an ambient experience that extends across devices," said Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Google said the Google Assistant will eventually baked into devices for the home, such as Chromecast. The company is creating a specific product called Google Home that resembles its On-Hub wireless routers. Google Home is similar to Amazon's Alexa. It has a built-in speaker and supports Google Cast technology so it can accept music from other nearby devices. Home can be used to manage everyday tasks, such as alarms and timers. It will also connect with internet-of-things hardware to control lights, environmental settings, and entryways. Google Home will be available later this year. Google didn't say how much it might cost.
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