Google Unveils AI-Infused Assistant With Bard: Ushering In a Smarter Era of Personal Assisting

Google has made a significant leap in the realm of mobile personal assistants. In a recent 'Made By Google' event, the tech giant announced the introduction of 'Assistant with Bard', a hybrid system that combines the simplicity of Google Assistant with the intelligent responsiveness of Bard, which is grounded in generative AI technologies. This fusion enables the new assistant to accommodate a greater range of questions and everyday tasks while providing more precise responses leveraging the Bard AI.

The new AI-powered assistant goes beyond the basics of setting an alarm or sending text messages. It integrates seamlessly with Google applications such as Gmail and Google Drive. Based on user opt-in, it could present customized responses to queries. As a result, Google Assistant could assist users with catching up on essential emails or other documents they have missed over a specified period. The robust digital aide can, therefore, sift through emails, providing users with the most necessary information.

This experimental feature expansion stems from the updated version of Bard that was launched in mid-September. The AI chatbot can now tap into Google's range of services, including Gmail, Docs, Drive, Maps, YouTube, and Google's travel services through 'Bard's extensions.' Users who already utilize Bard's access to their Google apps do not need to reauthorize access for the enhanced feature on Google Assistant. However, users exploring the extension for the first time would need to permit Bard to do so.

Google suggests that the AI assistant's advanced capabilities could also be useful for a wide array of personal tasks, such as scheduling trips, making grocery lists, or even crafting social media captions. Google's ambitious goal with this launch is to study how users interact with the upgraded Assistant, using the insight gathered to refine the feature before launching it to a wider audience on Android and iOS platforms.

Considering Bard's availability on mobile devices, users can engage with this sophisticated AI assistant in several ways. They can voice their questions and follow-ups, type in queries, or utilize the Google Lens integration through Bard to upload pictures to complement their queries. This opens up diverse potential uses for the assistant, ranging from generating responses to written queries to analyzing images.