New Nest hardware is coming, but will Gemini be ready?

For over a year now, Google has made it clear that this is the company’s “Gemini era.” With what appears to be a Nest hardware renaissance on the horizon, where does Google’s smart home fit into the Gemini era?

Google is entirely focused on developing AI, and no amount of social media efforts will set it back. Even Google Assistant, once the company’s flagship product for smart home and mobile devices, is starting to be replaced by Gemini. For owners of Pixel phones and other newer Android devices, Gemini can outright take over from Google Assistant, at least to some extent.

Last time we demonstrated Google’s upcoming support for Gemini on the Pixel tablet, we found that the same “Hey Google” invocation could invoke either Gemini or Assistant, depending on whether your tablet is connected or not. Add to that the fact that the Pixel tablet is now readily available without the smart home-oriented dock, and it looks like the Google Assistant is on its way out.

In the smart home, Gemini and Assistant take a team approach. If you ask Gemini on your phone something like “Turn on the living room lights,” Gemini will work with Assistant to get the job done. Despite Google’s near-universal intentions for Gemini, the company has so far not publicly discussed bringing Gemini-based responses and actions to speakers, smart displays, or TVs, leaving Assistant to the orders.

However, all indications are that Google is preparing a massive wave of smart home products to launch over the next year. Last year, 9to5Google reported on a new Nest Audio speaker, Nest Hub Max smart display, Nest Wifi, and Chromecast with Google TV (4K), most of which are typically Google Assistant-equipped gadgets. Google has also partnered with ADT to bring more hardware and features to the Nest/Google Home ecosystem.

As it stands, Gemini and Google Assistant offer two distinct ways to be “helpful.” Assistant – and especially its “next-gen” upgrade on the Pixel 4 and newer – handles on-device tasks quite well for you, such as “Play Twenty One Pilots on Spotify.” Ask Gemini the same thing on a Pixel phone and you’ll be told it can’t help you.

Meanwhile, Gemini is capable of giving in-depth and (usually) well-argued answers to even complex questions. For now, it can’t help with tasks for which a dedicated “extension” hasn’t been created, although Google has repeatedly emphasized its intention for Gemini to be more “agentive” – ​​acting on your behalf. noun – in the future. While the feature was initially dubbed “Wizard with Bard,” it is currently much closer to “Gemini with Wizard.”

What if we could meet somewhere halfway? On phones, if you ask Gemini for something that Google Assistant should handle instead, that transfer happens automatically. What if the new Nest Audio and Nest Hub Max – which absolutely should be rooted in the task-oriented nature of the Assistant – could it seamlessly pass questions to Gemini?

For example, if I say “Hey Google, play rain sounds,” the regular assistant can handle that without using AI. But if I ask something complex: “Hey Google, what are some fun activities to do indoors on a rainy day?” » – Assistant could forward the question to Gemini for a more detailed answer.

I think a compromise along these lines would be the best-case scenario for Nest. As Google I/O 2024 made clear, every Google product needs to incorporate Gemini (or AI in general) to stay relevant (to executives), but it’s just as clear that Gemini is neither consistent enough nor capable enough to serve as a smart home center.

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