*Google today announced three new features of its voice assistant, which will make it easier and more natural to interact with it. The first function is to make the conversation with the assistant easier, * just look at a device with a built-in camera like nest hub and talk to the assistant without using the wake-up word "Hey Google". This will be launched later this week to users who pair nest hub max with Android devices, while IOS users will have to wait a few more weeks.
Another new feature is extended support for quick phrases, which means you can use quick phrases to answer calls, turn off lights or ask about the weather, all without using wake-up words. This means that in the future, you will be able to simply set a timer without saying "Hey, Google". Google pointed out that this is an optional feature. It will use the company's voice matching function, which is already available on nest hub today.
Finally, Google is also making some changes to how the assistant handles your request so that it can better understand your intention, even if it has to correct itself, or make a small pause when you consider how to phrase your question, such as:
"We realize that when evaluating real conversations, they are full of nuances," said Nino Tosca, product management director of Google Voice team and Google assistant. "People say 'well', interruptions, pauses, self correction when two people talk back and forth -- but we realize that these things are natural when two people communicate. They don't really hinder people from understanding each other [we're trying to bring these natural behaviors to Google assistant so that users don't have to think before saying a command -- or actually process the command in their mind, make sure every word is correct, and then try to express it perfectly. We hope you can talk to Google assistant like talking to other humans, and we will understand its meaning and realize your intention“
Unfortunately, this feature is still under development, but should be available sometime in early 2023. Google always uses I / O to show the upcoming features, although some of them have never been launched, so we can only wait and see the development of this feature.
These improvements seem to be a useful addition to the Google assistant feature set. After all, saying 'Hey, Google' will soon become obsolete and continue to feel a little strange. Although many homes have a pile of nest hubs and Google homes, most people rarely talk to them except to turn on the lights with their touch screen and occasionally set a cooking timer.
Google has great ambitions in "environmental computing", but when assistants don't understand you and then randomly start playing inexplicable videos on your TV, this technology still needs some adjustments to find its own future. As today, any improvement that can eliminate these obstacles is welcome.
