2023 was all about Generative AI, and leading the pack was OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The service was launched in late 2022, and has since gained many new features. It now has a plug-in store for connecting to third-party apps, and has recently been given a voice assistant makeover, allowing it to function as a personal assistant.
Now, it seems OpenAI is looking to rival Google Assistant, as the company is reportedly working on making ChatGPT’s voice assistant the default assistant app on Android smartphones. According to Android Authority’s report, a new activity named “com.openai.voice.assistant.AssistantActivity” has been discovered in the APK teardown of ChatGPT v1.2023.352.
Although this activity is currently disabled, enabling it triggers a Google Assistant-like animation, hinting that OpenAI is developing a personal voice assistant feature for the app. The animation was demonstrated in the video. The overlay does not cover the entire screen; instead, it displays a transparent background with an interactive overlay in the front, suggesting that the voice assistant is ready to listen to commands.
The feature is not yet functional, but the code indicates that it is coming soon. Once live, users will be able to set ChatGPT’s voice assistant as Android’s default digital assistant. It can be launched by long-pressing the power button or the three-button navigation. However, using a custom hotword, such as “Hey, Google,” won’t be possible, as it is restricted by Android.
Google Assistant with Bard is also coming soon
While OpenAI is working to make its voice assistant more accessible on Android, Google is also in the final stages of finalizing Google Assistant with Bard. The upcoming updated voice assistant was first showcased during the Pixel 8 event in October, and now a new leak has given us our first look at how the Bard-powered Assistant will look like.
As seen in the video by 9to5Google, Google is planning to offer Assistant with Bard from the Discover page of the Google Search app. Using the new Bard-powered Assistant, users will gain the ability to perform more intricate tasks using Google Assistant. Android devices will become more context-aware, allowing them to extract deeper information from apps.
For example, if you’re looking at a picture of your puppy, you can ask the Bard-powered Assistant to generate a caption for the photo — something that was not possible before. Leveraging Generative AI, Google Assistant will offer even greater contextual awareness and improved accuracy in providing information.
The voice assistant race is heating up again
Voice assistants play an important role in how we interact with our phones. For some, it’s the primary way to interact with their smartphone, while it’s less useful for others. With more powerful AI now entering the market, voice assistants are also evolving and gaining more advanced features. Google’s Assistant with Bard will offer major benefits thanks to being more contextually aware and being able to access deeper app information, while ChatGPT’s voice assistant will hold an advantage as people are more familiar with it.
But, for now, both OpenAI’s voice assistant and Google Assistant with Bard are not available, and it’s a little too early to tell what impact these services will have on how we interact with our phones. However, if it’s an indication of anything, you will see more AI-powered features everywhere in 2024.
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