5 things to know about Google Home’s Gemini AI baby steps

With Google Gemini all the rage and Google Assistant seeming to fade into the background, a big question mark has hung over Google’s Nest devices. Had Google lost interest in the smart home, gravitating instead toward the lure of AI? 

Well, Google is still taking a full-speed-ahead approach with Gemini, but it’s also signaling renewed interest in the home, with Google announcing that it will infuse its Nest cameras and other home products with a healthy dose of AI smarts. 

That said, Google Home’s new AI features are more like baby steps than game-changers. Don’t expect Google Gemini to revolutionize the way you interact with your Nest smart devices, or for Google Assistant (and yes, Assistant for the home is sticking around) to take on a HAL 9000-level of simulated consciousness.  

Here are five things you need to know about Google Home and its new AI features, starting with: 

No new AI-enhanced Nest smart displays or speakers, for now 

If you were hoping for a new suite of Google Nest speakers and displays to go along with Google Home’s new AI features, well… it ain’t happening, or at least not yet. 

There is a new and snazzy-looking 4th-generation Nest Learning thermostat, along with a new (and thoroughly leaked) Google TV Streamer that ditches the dongle look for more of a TV set-top box design. But for now, there are no new Nest speakers or displays.

Google’s Nest Hub line is looking particularly long in the tooth, with Google’s newest display—the second-generation Nest Hub—being more than four years old. Meanwhile, the latest Google smart speaker, the Nest Audio, is approaching its fifth birthday. 

Of course, Google does usually hold a fall event where it unveils new hardware, including new Nest devices. That might be the ideal venue for Google to finally show off some new AI-enhanced Nest products, including speakers and displays. But will it actually happen? We’ll have to wait and see. 

Google’s Nest cameras will soon learn to describe what they’re seeing 

Nope, there won’t be any new Nest cameras to go with Google Home’s new AI functionality either (again, there’s always the chance we’ll see some new Nest cams in the fall). But Google’s existing Nest cameras are slated to get an intriguing, if not game-changing new feature: the ability to describe what they’re seeing. 

Starting “later this year,” Nest cam clips in the Google Home app will serve up “much richer captions” that will detail the captured activity.  

In one example shown during a pre-briefing last week, a Nest Cam clip showing a bird perched at a feeder has a Gemini AI-generated caption, reading: “A blue jay at a seed-filled feeder, its blue and white features vibrant against a dull, wintry backdrop. There are no people or vehicles, just tranquil natural scenery and the colorful bird.” 

You’ll also be able to perform “natural language” searches of those Nest clips, including such searches as (for example), “Did the kids leave their bicycles in the driveway today?” 

All in all, pretty interesting. It’s worth noting though, that Google Gemini won’t work with Familiar Faces, the Google function that allows Nest Cams to detect the faces of specific household members, loved ones, friends, or other people you’ve designated.

Asked when Familiar Faces might get Gemini enhancements, Google’s Anish Kattukaran, product lead for the company’s Home and Nest division, promised “we’re working on it.” 

Gemini AI-suggested home automations 

If you’ve grown tired of drawing up home automations for Google Home using tedious “if/then” rules, good news: Gemini is poised to make creating routines a lot easier. 

Instead of picking through long lists of devices, triggers, and actions, Gemini will allow you to create new automations by simply using—yep, you guessed it—natural language. 

Just say, for instance, “help me save energy,” and the Gemini-infused Home app will suggest an appropriate automation. 

Google Assistant’s conversations will get more “fluid” 

Expect Google Assistant’s voice to get a Gemini-enhanced makeover, with the Assistant slated to sound “more natural to talk to” while also being able to “understand you better,” Google said. 

Thanks to Google Assistant’s improved comprehension, conversations with the Assistant won’t need to be as stilted as they’ve traditionally been, Google’s Katturaran promised. 

In a brief sample video, Google Assistant’s new voice did sound a bit more conversational, with a more natural tonality, while the Assistant also managed to field a brief follow-up question without the “Hey Google” wake words (a trick the current Google Assistant can already perform). 

But it’s too soon to tell whether Google Assistant’s vocal makeover will mark a dramatic improvement or be simply cosmetic. 

AI-generated video recommendations, descriptions, and wallpapers

With Google’s new TV Streamer comes a handful of new AI-powered features, including the ability to “curate” video suggestions as well as create watch lists with recommended titles. (Sounds a little “meh,” but OK.) 

More interesting is Gemini’s ability to create “overviews” for shows, including descriptions of what a given title is about, summaries of “what people are saying” (“the audience reception was largely positive” is one example), and “what to know” (such as whether a show has mature content). 

Finally, the Google TV Streamer will offer Gemini-created wallpaper and screensavers for the box’s “ambient” mode, similar to how Amazon Fire TV devices now offer their own AI-generated background art. 

Timing and availability 

So, when are all these Gemini AI features for Google Home coming?  

Think “later this year,” starting in a public preview for Nest Aware subscribers, before rolling out “more broadly… into next year,” Google’s Katturaran said. 

Don’t miss our other coverage: Google also announced the Matter-compatible Google TV Streamer, which can perform as a smart home hub in addition to streaming media, as well as the Nest Learning Thermostat (4th gen).