'Gemini Is Replacing Google Assistant On Pixel Phones, and It's a Trainwreck' (fastcompany.com) 73
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Fast Company's Jared Newman: With its new Pixel 9 phones, Google Assistant is getting a demotion. In its place, Google's will ship Gemini as the default voice assistant on its flagship phones. Gemini uses large language models to interpret questions and generate answers, which means it can respond in a more conversational way. But while Google is eager to showcase Gemini as an answer to OpenAI's ChatGPT, tossing out Assistant is a mistake. Too often, Gemini fails at performing basic tasks, and it's going to cause lots of frustration for folks who depend on their phone's voice control features. Although Google says Gemini can now handle many of the same instructions as Assistant, that hasn't been my experience at all. As evidence, I submit a list of useful Google Assistant actions that either aren't possible or don't work properly with Gemini. Here is a summary of the challenges Gemini faces, as documented by Newman:
1. Local results are worse: Gemini provides less useful information for local business queries compared to Google Assistant, lacking context and formatting.
2. Gemini can't take notes: Unlike Google Assistant, Gemini cannot take voice notes or save them in an app like Google Keep.
3. No-can-do on to-do lists: Gemini does not support adding items to to-do lists, a feature that Google Assistant handles efficiently.
4. Weather doesn't work right: Gemini struggles with weather forecasts, often giving incorrect locations, unlike Google Assistant which works reliably.
5. Turn-by-turn directions don't load: Gemini fails to provide direct turn-by-turn navigation, only offering a preview, whereas Google Assistant launches navigation immediately.
6. Music and podcast requests are YouTube-only: Gemini only supports YouTube Music, unlike Google Assistant which supports multiple streaming services.
7. Video (in)capabilities: Gemini cannot directly access streaming apps for movies or shows, only suggesting content with no direct links.
8. No photo search: Gemini cannot search for photos in Google Photos, a task that Google Assistant can easily handle.
9. Bye-bye to a useful news feature: Gemini fails to play or provide recent news effectively, unlike Google Assistant's useful daily news briefing feature.
10. No Routines: Gemini does not support the automation of multiple actions through Routines, a feature present in Google Assistant.
11. So much for Shortcuts: Gemini lacks the Shortcuts feature available in Google Assistant, offering no replacement for quick actions in third-party apps.
12. A slower experience: Responses from Gemini are slower by a second or two compared to Google Assistant when answering queries.
1. Local results are worse: Gemini provides less useful information for local business queries compared to Google Assistant, lacking context and formatting.
2. Gemini can't take notes: Unlike Google Assistant, Gemini cannot take voice notes or save them in an app like Google Keep.
3. No-can-do on to-do lists: Gemini does not support adding items to to-do lists, a feature that Google Assistant handles efficiently.
4. Weather doesn't work right: Gemini struggles with weather forecasts, often giving incorrect locations, unlike Google Assistant which works reliably.
5. Turn-by-turn directions don't load: Gemini fails to provide direct turn-by-turn navigation, only offering a preview, whereas Google Assistant launches navigation immediately.
6. Music and podcast requests are YouTube-only: Gemini only supports YouTube Music, unlike Google Assistant which supports multiple streaming services.
7. Video (in)capabilities: Gemini cannot directly access streaming apps for movies or shows, only suggesting content with no direct links.
8. No photo search: Gemini cannot search for photos in Google Photos, a task that Google Assistant can easily handle.
9. Bye-bye to a useful news feature: Gemini fails to play or provide recent news effectively, unlike Google Assistant's useful daily news briefing feature.
10. No Routines: Gemini does not support the automation of multiple actions through Routines, a feature present in Google Assistant.
11. So much for Shortcuts: Gemini lacks the Shortcuts feature available in Google Assistant, offering no replacement for quick actions in third-party apps.
12. A slower experience: Responses from Gemini are slower by a second or two compared to Google Assistant when answering queries.
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A few weeks ago I asked Google Assistant on my phone if it could identify a song from a fragment in a video I was watching on my PC, since my phone didn't seem to pick it up automatically.
But it had been replaced by Gemini, which then proceeded to link me to an article which listed the exact steps I had just done to try and use Google Assistant to search for audio.
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The issue is not about ability to follow procedures; it's about products that promise much but deliver little, and to use Cory Doctorow's term, the enshittification of everyday life.
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It keeps offering to replace Google Assistant for me, and I keep declining. They have been making Assistant harder to activate, but it's still useful for setting reminders.
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This reads like something out of a standup routine.
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I think they're making assistant worse too.
I can no longer turn my TV off by telling it to by typing into assistant.
Now it just tells me it doesn't know what I want.
Assistant is just a toy anyway (Score:4, Insightful)
Pfft - I gave up using Assistant for everything but the most routine tasks years ago, after I realized it was just not reliable enough to pin anything important in my life on it. It's basically a toy that has some cool features, which might work today, might not work tomorrow.
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I have no idea what the moderators are thinking. Assistant is terrible. Sometimes it gets it right but mostly it is more trouble especially when you need it most.
I don't know how good Gemini is but assistant isn't a feature I rely on either.
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I'm guessing that mods know people that use it for real or are people that use it for real. They miss that it's just a different opinion.
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Gotta say, the "minus one I disagree" moderation is stronger than ever on slashdot. Assistant's unreliability is one thing google (and apple and amazon with siri and alexa) have worked for a long time to try to mitigate, and they're still very unreliable to this day. It's proven to be one of the problems where first 80% is pretty easy, so everyone gets excited that we're so close to 100%.
And last 20 percent is incredibly hard, and getting exponentially harder with each fraction of a percent getting solved.
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Funny you mention this, because I just pulled the "+1 Underrated" option out of my mod sheath today on a different article. I don't think I've had to use that more than a handful of times in what, 25 years? It was for a really anodyne comment that happened to be about a contentious topic. This guy had the misfortune of voicing his opinion early, thus got nailed with -1 moderation. I concur.
Author was born yesterday (Score:4, Insightful)
And doesn't realize that "modern" replaced "functional" as the key measure of software over a decade ago.
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I'd actually say 20 years rather than 10, certainly 15.
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And doesn't realize that "modern" replaced "functional" as the key measure of software over a decade ago.
Not quite. This isn't some useless UI change. This is a fundmental lack of functionality from a product that simply isn't ready yet. It's fun to shit on modern software development, but at least it's data driven providing the majority of users with the functionality they actually use as reported by telemetry, but this is just useless shit.
LLM's are the new Blockchain! (Score:4)
LLM's (AI) are good for a few things, but there's *NO* way that the results of navigating through a mishmash of pre-trained data will ever be 100% accurate.
LLM's are going to be with us for a while, but the use-cases are still tenuous at best.
They are a perfect example of a sparkly new technology looking for a purpose that does not involve wasting the time of the user.
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Seriously. As we all know, blockchains have their use, but they are not good for everything. They will never replace ledgers and/or databases in all situations.
LLM's (AI) are good for a few things, but there's *NO* way that the results of navigating through a mishmash of pre-trained data will ever be 100% accurate.
LLM's are going to be with us for a while, but the use-cases are still tenuous at best.
They are a perfect example of a sparkly new technology looking for a purpose that does not involve wasting the time of the user.
I think LLMs and generative models are far better than expert systems in answering queries that aren't programmed in or at least directly accessible in a database via a rules. Of course, that's sort of obvious. The problem is in expecting LLMs to be everything, which isn't true now and maybe never will be. Many of the tasks mentioned by the OP are obviously a bad fit for a generative model. I'm not sure why Google would make the mistake of thinking using Google Assistant and Gemini is exclusive, that on
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I still haven't observed a use case for blockchain, other than facilitating criminal enterprises. For example, it's used to process ransomware payments. It's used to extract money from clueless "investors" (FTX, rug pulls). As an "investment," far more people have lost money than those who have made a profit, because it has turned out to be little more than a fancy Ponzi scheme.
I have yet to see a legitimate problem that blockchain solves, that can't be solved equally well through more traditional technolog
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You seem confused between blockchain and cryptocurrency. Blockchain is a decentralized digital ledger that securely records transactions across multiple computers, making the data transparent, immutable, and resistant to tampering.
Even if this tool doesn't have value for you, it has for many.
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I'm not confused about this at all, I realize that cryptocurrency is one system implemented using blockchain.
My statement still stands. You talk about "many" who find value in this technology. Who, exactly? And do these other non-crypto systems accomplish anything that can't also be accomplished through other, more traditional means?
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LLMs, by contrast, are a huge time saver. Just today I put together a slide deck walking through the ins and outs of XSLT. The slide deck needed a number of examples to illustrate the various techniques. Using Copilot, I was able to just ask it to write the code I wanted. It obliged, producing working code in a fraction of the time it would have taken me to do it manually. Copilot saves me time daily, in a hundred different ways. THAT is worth something.
Yep, exactly. If you use the tool for something it's actually good at, and you use it intelligently, it's pretty awesome and useful.
Re: LLM's are the new Blockchain! (Score:2)
Ah, but if you use them correctly...
Example from today: I needed to write a semi-formal text going to several people on a project. One of those people was obstructive, making everyone else's lives that much harder. But the idiot is semi-important, so the message has to be clear, but not *too* direct. I gave ChatGPT my draft, which was too blunt, and explained what I wanted. Got back a great adaptation.
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Gemini is a far left extremist lunatic designed by the same thing but in human form. I can't wait for it to shame me for being racist.
You obviously don't need an AI to shame you for being a racist, you just did that on your own.
I've been frustrated with gemini on my pixel 8 pro (Score:2)
Re: I've been frustrated with gemini on my pixel 8 (Score:2)
Then don't use Gemini and don't open the Gemini app. Problem solved?
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2 seconds with google:
https://support.google.com/ass... [google.com]
I checked and the option exists on my galaxy S10 at least.
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ahh sorry I see you're saying that you cant even get into Gemini's settings without setting it up first?
Can you not just uninstall the Gemini app?
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On a Pixel 7. I cannot set reminders anymore. Previously I would just push mic icon and "Say remind me at 7AM to do ...." and I would have a reminder. Now? I don't know, it brings up search results. While this was the only thing I use the assistant for, it is sorely missed.
Don't forget the environment (Score:3)
Please don't make it creepy (Score:3)
As The Worm Turns (Score:1)
Wow can you imagine the horror of relying on a hallucination-prone LLM to produce directions... hope there aren't any cliffs nearby with roads near the edge.
What is really funny here though, is that Apple may very soon have a more capable assistant with them having a much more focused LLM managing the user requests! It would be quite a switch since until now the Google assistant has been better for most people. People seem happy with the beta so far (though it's not fully capable yet).
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Preview (Score:3)
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Probably due to low confidence in having interpreted the user's request properly.
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This is true. I had to rent a Mazda CX30 when my Outlander broke down on an important week long car trip.
The system was so goofed up (It had this weird combination joystick/dial thing and a variety of unintuitive buttons) that Android Auto was barely usable. This is not a good thing in a rental car, and I doubt even an experienced owner would not be significantly affected after learning the system. A warning pops up when you start up the header saying "Do not use this system if it will distract you from you
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This makes me wonder if they did any kind of real world testing on that weird joystick thingies.
Real world testing costs money. Of course it wasn't tested properly. Products are made for money.
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Why will I need a "preview" for something that should just work and give directions.
Leaving aside what is actually meant by preview here, literally all GPS apps including the ones in cars give you a preview precisely because there is no one clear decision to be made. The difference is most of them pick a default option after a timeout.
"Hey Google, navigate to HomeDepot" - car suddenly instructs me to do a U-turn because the closest one is 1 mile behind me instead of selecting the one on the side of the highway currently on my path.
Heck I drove a hired car for 9 months which when asked to "
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Somebody tries to force "success"... (Score:2)
That never works. Seems Google management is getting desperate and even more stupid than before.
Re: Somebody tries to force "success"... (Score:3)
Indeed. Maybe Google should be split, after all. When the Gemini stuff and Android get into different companies, maybe this idiocy will stop. Hopefully.
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Yes. Or at least contained in one of the fragments.
Can I replace Gemini with ChatGPT or Claude? (Score:2)
Google currently has antitrust problems. I'm not sure they want to lock phone users to its AI.
Well ok (Score:4, Funny)
But aside from those dozen things it's sort of ok right?
Ship it!
So people are actually using this shit? (Score:3)
I mean voice commands, whether assistant or Gemini?
I want agency and control in my actions with any machine. I certainly don't want any part of Google to guess for me.
Voice dictation is potentially useful - and I've tried it, but frankly, I don't like the phone spying on my every utterance, so I disable those parts of Android and kid myself it's not listening anyway.
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I say or type for it to turn off my TV and/or living room lights when leaving the house or going to bed.
Also pause what's on the TV.
Googlenomics: (Score:3, Insightful)
Customer = Beta Tester
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They learned that from Microsoft, of course.
I firmly believe that "trust in AI" is the big technical problem of the next 5-10 years. And I don't see how we get to 'trust' without having a lot better understanding of how to -specify- an AI system's behaviors (must-do and must-not-do.)
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Windows is one big everlasting beta.
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It's worse than that. The reason, IMO, these systems are being pushed so hard is that they are unfinished until they are pounded at by millions of users as LLM training data. They need us to use it. We're not beta testers, we're development staff.
They want to pay people for that, fine. There's no way I'm performing that service, on half-finished garbage that can't be used effectively, to finish the unfinished project.
It's needed labor that they don't want to pay for. They can, but why not sucker a bunch of
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Customer = BetaTester & BotTeacher
My god (Score:2)
Do people really use this stuff?
I turn things like Assistant/Siri right off.
The most I do is ask my car radio to call someone, other than that it's like BSG with me. All "hands-on".
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The most I do is ask my car radio to call someone
You are not paranoid enough my friend. The car downloaded all of your info from your phone and is sending that information out to build a profile about you for insurance and marketing purposes.
Turn it ALL off.
Too much time on the golf course (Score:2)
Clearly a mandate from the sky, purely a management issue. Spending too much time on the golf course grousing about WFH and not enough time on basic competence.
Ridiculous article (Score:2)
I try it my Samsung s24U phone (Score:2)
and it's a real piece of crap.
Seriously, not only the answer are weak or false, but the voice (in french-canadian) is so bad, and no way to change it.
That a real ... for google
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Yeah. I ran out and got an S23+ because I was afraid AI would be mandatory on an S24.
Is it? I'm getting AI features pushed at me, but they're completely optional.
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On Android you always have a way to remove or block an app.
2) you millage can vary with Google apps.
Just let me disable/remove it (Score:2)
Please? I don't use assistant either and wish I could get rid of the search bar on the phone I have never once used. I don't want to install a 3rd party launcher I will also never use either.
Don't enhance, throw out! (Score:2)
In typical Google fashion, they aren't bothering to improve their existing product (Assistant) they're creating a competing product for something they already have (see messages / hangouts / wallet / music / etc...)
Sure, let's force a less-capable alternative on hundreds of millions of people, break all existing documentation, and tell them they should be happy to have it. That'll earn us $billions$ !
Black Nazis (Score:3)
Love how changing assistants is like changing OS's (Score:1)