This week in tech history: Google Assistant is born
The Assistant has also been one of Google's best-supported products from both a hardware and software perspective. There are now multiple smart speakers and smart displays that can run the Assistant (that's from both Google and third-party hardware makers) and it also runs on basically any Android or iOS device. Google has added its features into more of its apps, like Google Maps, and it works with Android Auto, Android TV and Wear OS devices too. At this point, the Assistant can be found on almost any hardware you can think of.
It would take far too long to run down the many new tricks it has gained in the last few years, but suffice to say that Google's always adding more capability. One of the more impressive newer features is interpreter mode, which lets the Assistant serve as the middle-man between two people speaking in different languages. There's also the creepy-but-intriguing Google Duplex feature, which lets the Assistant call a restaurant and book a table for you. It can also automatically check you into a flight, give you personalized recipe recommendations. Hell, it can even start up your Instant Pot.
That's without mentioning the improvements Google announced a few weeks ago at its I/O developer conference. Among those are a much faster Assistant that takes up less space on your phone, a boon for lower-end devices. It'll also be more personalized than ever, an appropriate update given that the company originally pitched the Assistant as "your own personal Google."
Of course, one can't mention the Google Assistant without acknowledging that it requires you to give up even more of your personal information to Google. As people finally start to push back and desire more privacy, Google's making it easier to manage the vast trove of information it has about you. But even with privacy concerns being top of mind, don't expect Google to pull back on prioritizing the Assistant. In just a few short years, it's become one of the company's defining products. If you're still not convinced, just recall the enormous showcase the company has built in the parking lot of CES the last two years. It's all about the Assistant, and Google doesn't want you to forget it.
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