Here's your first look at Google's new AI assistant with Bard, but you'll have to wait longer for a release date
By 2024, AI will play an increasingly prominent role in all kinds of tech devices and services, and Google is getting the ball rolling by expanding the Google Assistant with Google Bard features, after launching its AI chatbot last year.
At its Made by Google event in October, Google announced that the new Assistant by Bard would combine elements of both tools to create a generative AI search powerhouse. The Google Assistant search tool has been integrated into the company's products since its launch in 2016.
Google's developments in AI are transforming the way users experience and interact with its repertoire of apps and services, with AI tools available in Gmail, YouTube and Google Docs, among others. The merger of Google Bard and Google Assistant features marks the next big step in the company's plan to integrate AI into all its products and services.
While Assistant with Bard doesn't have a confirmed release date yet, images and video shared by 9to5Google give us an idea of what it will look like and function.
9to5Google suggests that Assistant with Bard will completely replace Google Assistant on Google and Android devices. If this is true, you can probably access the new AI in the same way you access the Google Assistant; by commanding “Hey Google,” or by long pressing the power button.
Looking at the images, the Discover page in the Google search app appears to have gotten a Bard integration in the form of a slider switch that lets you easily switch between a standard Google search and the AI chatbot
Other images show the pop-up that appears when Assistant by Bard is enabled, allowing you to ask questions by talking, typing, or sharing photos using the three options at the bottom of the screen. Google previewed this design at its October event where it launched the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.
Assistant with Bard isn't available for use yet, but judging by the images shared by 9to5Google, it looks like the rollout of Google's next AI development is imminent.