Google will now allow its AI assistant Gemini to send messages to users.
The company is adding artificial intelligence tools to its Messages app. This means that Gemini will appear with friends and will be able to chat with users simply by sending a text message.
When chatting with Gemini, the introduction encourages users to “draft messages.” This will allow the user to chat with her AI system about responses to friends, for example. Google says it can also be used to “brainstorm ideas, plan events, or just have fun conversations without leaving the Messages app.”
This new update comes amid growing criticism of Google's Gemini AI. Google had to take some of its features offline last week due to controversy over the fact that it was producing racially diverse but inaccurate historical images.
Users noticed that requesting photos of Nazi soldiers or U.S. Founding Fathers, for example, resulted in mostly or exclusively images of women and people of color. Google admitted that the tool “missed the mark” and stopped its system from creating images of people.
Gemini's introduction to Messages is only available on Android smartphones and is only available to users participating in Google's beta program.
This comes amid a slew of new Android updates, many of which focused on artificial intelligence. For example, Android Auto can now automatically summarize long messages or busy chats, and suggest relevant replies that you can quickly select while driving.
Android can also generate captions for images, a feature it says was designed “in conjunction with the blind and visually impaired community.” We've also added new accessibility features to Google Maps, allowing you to identify important locations and read that information out loud.
Google also announced that it has redesigned the Fitbit app. Data from different wearables will be brought together in one place.