Google's Gemini AI: Innovative Features and User Experience

Gemini Live's advanced voice interaction promises a more natural and responsive user experience for mobile devices.

### Google's Gemini AI Features at Made by Google Event
* 🗣️  Gemini Live was showcased as Google's advanced voice assistant, allowing for **natural conversations and interruptions** during interactions.
* 🏃‍♂️  A demo of Gemini Live showed it providing **personalized advice on training for a half marathon**, with the ability to **simplify explanations upon request**.
* 🐶  In another demo, Gemini Live helped choose a pet based on **low maintenance** and **conversational requirements**.
* 📱  Gemini Live will be available on Android devices capable of running Gemini Advanced, with **iOS support coming later**.
* 🔄  Gemini connected apps allow for **conversational interactions** across Google Suite apps, potentially changing how users **interact with their phones**.
* 🔮  The author found Gemini Live's **responsiveness and natural intonation impressive**, but noted that **interrupting the assistant felt unnatural**.
* 🎥  Multimodal capabilities, such as **video and photo input**, are planned for Gemini Live in the future.
* 🌐  The author highlighted that Gemini connected apps currently only work with **Google's own apps**, limiting its functionality for users of **third-party apps**.

[Music] Google showed off a range of Gemini AI features at its Made by Google event, and some of them actually have the potential to change how you use your phone. Hi, I'm Lexi, welcome to your weekly dose of all things mobile, a special edition brought to you live from Made by Google, where I've got hands-on with all of the different Pixel devices, but they were kind of overshadowed by Gemini and a bunch of the different announcements that we heard here. I got to try out a couple of different Gemini demos here at the event, and some of them were actually really impressive. The one that I was most intrigued by and most impressed by was Gemini Live, which is Google's answer to ChatGPT's advanced voice module. Try making some homemade lava lamps with oil, water, and food coloring. You can have some pretty in-depth conversations with Gemini Live. You can do things like interrupt it in the middle of your conversation. You can get it to summarize things or, you know, basically explain things to you in a more simple manner.

and I found it was actually a really natural experience overall. So, I'm going to do a run-through live of Gemini live. I haven't had this conversation before, so let's see what happens. So, I'm just going to tap this icon down here. Hi Gemini, I'm looking to run my first marathon, and I really don't know where to start. What should I do? That's an awesome goal. Training for a marathon is a huge commitment, so let's get you set up for success. First, let's figure out what kind of experience you have with running. I'm so sorry, I actually meant to say half marathon. I don't think I'm ready for a full marathon yet. Can you give me advice about that? No worries at all. Half marathons are still a fantastic challenge and a great way to ease into longer distances. Maybe think about a race date sometime in September or October. That'll give you a better shot at reaching your goal. Okay, let's say October, but can you give me like the plan on how I should do that?

like talk to me like I'm 5 years old and explain to me really simply how I should get started. Okay, here's the deal. Think of training like building a really strong house. You can't build the whole house in one day, right? You got to start with a solid foundation. So, for the first month or so, it's all about getting back into the swing of running. When you're starting out on your half marathon journey, it's best to find a pair of running shoes that offer good support and cushioning. Oh no, I don't want to do a half marathon. I think that's too ambitious. I'm sorry. I think I'm just going to go back and start from scratch. Just uh, let's start over. Let's try something else. Say, for example, I wanted to get a pet at home and I am really looking between uh a dog, cat, and a toucan. Which one should I get uh especially because I want something super low maintenance but also something that can I kind of have a conversation with it.

Sounds like you're feeling a little overwhelmed by the idea of a half marathon. Let's shelve that idea for now, maybe revisit it further down the road when you feel more ready. In the meantime, let's talk about this pet idea. It's important to pick a pet that fits your lifestyle. I thought Gemini Live was actually really quite responsive and fairly natural. I did like the way it changed its intonation at parts when I was answering different things that I was throwing at it, and it kind of changed tack as soon as I interrupted it in the middle of a conversation. But that's the thing; interrupting to me feels quite unnatural in a conversation. So, having to do that with an assistant, well, you don't have to do it, but that being a feature built in is just a little bit strange. That's something I'm definitely going to have to get used to going forward. And I don't know about you, but it actually does sound pretty human. I don't think I could be fooled by this.

having the sort of the sounds and the tones of a human just yet, but it's well on its way. Try to remember that even famous people are just regular folks, so Gemini live is actually going to be coming to a range of Android devices as long as you have a device capable of running Gemini Advanced, and iOS support is coming later. At the moment, it is voice only, but you can see that transcript of your conversation after the fact, and the other elements, multimodal elements like video and photo input for example, those are coming sometime later on down the track. Some of the other demos that I tried included Gemini connected apps, so this is basically using Gemini to talk across a whole range of the Google Suite of apps, anything from Gmail to Keep to Calendar. So you can do again conversational things like asking Gemini to find an email where you talked to a friend about a particular subject, and then potentially getting all of those locations that were in that email and putting them on a map. I feel like

connected apps is actually pretty helpful, and it has the potential to change how I use my phone. However, as long as you're firmly ensconced in Google's own apps, because it doesn't yet work with third-party apps. So, those are some quick impressions of the Gemini features here at Made by Google. Stay tuned, 'cause we have lots more coverage coming your way. Thanks for watching, and I'll catch you next time. See you.

I Chatted With Google's Gemini Live AI Voice Chat

CNET is the premier destination for explaining and navigating the changing world around us. Through news, product reviews, price comparisons, and more, we’ll tell you what’s new in the parts of modern life that increasingly matter more — from health, home, and money to tech, culture, and climate — and how to get the most out of them.

CNET

Google showcased its Gemini AI features at the Made by Google event, with Gemini Live being the most impressive.

Gemini Live offers advanced voice interactions, allowing users to have in-depth conversations, interrupt, and request summaries.

The AI's natural response and ability to provide personalized advice make it a valuable tool for users, such as those training for a half marathon.

It's important to start with a solid foundation when making big decisions.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by the idea of a half marathon, it's okay to set it aside for now.

When choosing a pet, consider your lifestyle and go for one that is low maintenance and can have a conversation with you.

Gemini Live is launching on various Android devices, with iOS support coming later, and currently offers voice-only interactions.

The service will later introduce multimodal elements like video and photo input.

Gemini is also designed to connect with Google's suite of apps, enabling conversational tasks like finding emails and mapping locations.

Connected apps have the potential to change phone usage, but currently only work with Google's own apps.

The feature's effectiveness may be limited until it expands to third-party apps.

More coverage on Gemini features is expected soon.