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A24 TECHNOLOGY
Wednesday 8 May 2019
Google's AI Assistant aims to transcend the smart speaker

By RACHEL LERMAN given household by voice.
AP Technology Writer It's also expanded the
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — number of apps and other
When Google launched its companies it works with
now distinctive digital assis- and moved into Google
tant in 2016, it was already Maps as a way to send text
in danger of being an also- messages while driving.
ran. Both Google and Amazon
At the time, Amazon had plan further expansions.
been selling its Echo smart Last year, Amazon unveiled
speaker, powered by its a number of home gadgets
Alexa voice assistant, for with Alexa built in, including
more than a year . Apple's a "smart" microwave. At the
Siri was already five years CES gadget show this year,
old and familiar to most it showed off a phone-con-
iPhone users. Google's nected device that brings
main entry in the field up Alexa to cars.
to that point was Google Google countered with up-
Now, a phone-bound app dates to its expanding An-
that took voice commands droid Auto system, which
but didn't answer back. got Assistant capability last
Now the Google Assistant year.
— known primarily as the As Assistant and Alexa get
voice of the Google Home smarter, faster and more
smart speaker — is increas- personalized, analysts ex-
ingly central to Google's In this Jan. 8, 2019, file photo shows the Google Assistant, which includes an "interpreter mode" pect their reach to be-
new products. And even that enables some of Google's smart home devices to work as a translator, at the Google display come broader and more
though it remains com- area at CES International in Las Vegas. ubiquitous. The speakers,
mercially overshadowed said eMarketer analyst Vic-
by Alexa, it keeps pushing offices, they're currently available across more than personalizing its responses toria Petrock, are "getting
the boundaries of what ar- most commonly found in a billion devices, although based on what else Google people used to talking to
tificial intelligence can ac- the home, where people many of those are smart- knows about you from your their devices." Eventually,
complish in everyday set- tend to use them with smart phones whose owners may previous searches, your she says, if you can speak
tings. speakers for simple activi- never have uttered the As- movements or your web to your microwave and
For instance, Google last ties such as playing music, sistant's wake-up phrase, browsing. TV and lights directly, you
year announced an As- setting timers and check- "OK Google." All that, of course, reinforc- won't need the speakers
sistant service called Du- ing the weather. Amazon's Amazon and Google may es Google's key advertising — except maybe to play
plex, which it said can ac- Echo devices maintain a one-up each other on dif- business, which is based on music. In these emerging
tually call up restaurants strong lead in the market, ferent metrics, but the real showing you ads targeted areas Google is hoping to
and make reservations for according to eMarketer ; measurement is how well to your interests. outflank rivals with its strong
you. Duplex isn't yet widely the firm estimates that 63% they've achieved those At first, the Assistant on inroads with Android smart-
available yet outside of of all U.S. smart speaker us- own goal, said Gartner an- Home mostly just acted as phones and cars. But it
Google's own Pixel phones ers will talk to an Amazon alyst Werner Goertz. a vocal search engine; it faces competition in many
in the U.S. Alexa and Siri so device this year, compared Amazon's deep ties in shop- could also carry out a few of these areas not just from
far offer nothing similar. to 31% that will use Google. ping make Alexa the go-to additional tasks like starting Amazon, but also Apple
Google is expected to an- Apple's HomePod is a mere assistant for adding items to your Spotify playlists. Over and Microsoft.
nounce updates and ex- afterthought, lumped in your grocery list or putting time, however, it has add- Google I/O kicks off at 10
pansions to its AI Assistant the "other" category which in a quick re-order of dish ed dozens of languages, a.m. Tuesday in Mountain
at its annual developer has a combined 12%. soap. Google's decades of partnered with more than View, California. The com-
conference Tuesday. More broadly, though, the deep search technology 1,500 smart home compa- pany is expected to an-
Although voice assistants competition is much more make it the leader in look- nies to control lights, locks nounce a less expensive
have spread across smart- difficult to assess. Google ing up or answering ques- and TVs and learned to Pixel phone and updates to
phones and into cars and claims the Assistant is now tions you might have and identify members of any its smart home devices.q
Google spinoff, Lyft team up to offer self-driving car rides

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE Waymo's robotic vehicles own ride-hailing service in described the Waymo part- amid concerns about its
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — will still have a human be- the Phoenix area that so far nership as "phenomenal" in ability to make money —
Google's self-driving car hind the wheel to take con- has been confined to pas- a Tuesday conference call. a challenge magnified by
spinoff Waymo is teaming trol in case something goes sengers who previously par- Uber didn't respond to a re- another loss of $1.1 billion
up with Lyft in Arizona to awry with the technology. ticipated in free tests of its quest for comment. during the first three months
attempt to lure passengers But their use in Lyft's service self-driving technology. The new threat to Uber is of the year.
away from ride-hailing mar- could make more people "We're committed to con- emerging as the San Fran- Waymo's corporate par-
ket leader Uber. feel comfortable about rid- tinuously improving our cisco company pursues ent, Alphabet Inc., is in line
The alliance announced ing in self-driving cars. customer experience, and an initial public offering of to be among the biggest
Tuesday will allow anyone Both Lyft and Uber con- our partnership with Lyft stock that could raise $9 bil- winners in Uber's IPO just as
with the Lyft app in the sider self-driving cars to be will also give our teams the lion when the deal is com- it was in the Lyft IPO. Alpha-
Phoenix area to summon one of the keys to turning opportunity to collect valu- pleted later this week. Lyft bet owns a 5% stake in Uber
one of the 10 self-driving a profit, something neither able feedback," Waymo raked in more than $2 billion that will be worth as much
Waymo cars that will join company has done so far. CEO John Krafcik wrote in in its own IPO in March, only as $3.6 billion if Uber realizes
the ride-hailing service by Meanwhile, Waymo has a blog post. to see its stock fall nearly its goal of selling its stock for
end of September. been slowly expanding its Lyft President John Zimmer 20% below its offering price as much as $50 per share.q