Google made it clear that AI is a big part of its business at the company's I/O event last month. Its Gemini AI model was the star of the show, and the tech giant plans to inject the AI into all of its devices and services, including its upcoming smart glasses, Google Search results, and Gmail.
In the big AI race, Google is usually in second place behind OpenAI's ChatGPT, but a new update for Gemini could give it a big lead over the competition.
With its latest update, Google Gemini can now act more as an AI assistant, a common goal for the different tech companies. Gemini Pro and Ultra users can now have the AI do scheduled actions by asking it to perform a task at a certain time or make a recurring action.
"Now you can wake up with a summary of your calendar and unread emails, or get a creative boost by having Gemini write five ideas for your blog every Monday," Dave Citron, senior director, product management for the Gemini app, said in a blog post. "Stay informed by getting updates on your favorite sports team, or schedule a one-off task like asking Gemini to give you a summary of an award show the day after it happens. Just tell Gemini what you need and when, and it will take care of the rest."
The Gemini update is already live for those with Gemini Pro and Ultra subscriptions, along with individuals using qualifying Google Workspace business and education plans.
The race for an AI agent
All the big tech companies are trying to get their AI model to be the
The company that is still behind with its AI agent is Apple. It could be said that Siri was the first agent out of the gate when it came out in 2011, but its usefulness continues to lag behind when compared to the likes of ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
Apple did plan to release an overhauled Siri this year. The company announced this change last year when it revealed its Apple Intelligence feature, but turmoil within the company has been setting back the reveal of the new Siri. Apple reportedly changed leadership of the team handling the new Siri, but it's unlikely to make its debut this year.
AI, in general, has been a sore spot for Apple. Although it has a partnership with OpenAI and makes use of ChatGPT for its AI services, it has been rumored that Apple won't have much AI to talk about at the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference that starts on Monday.
