I’ve driven a lot of cars over the past few years that utilized Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Given that I’m still a sucker for the physical buttons of cars 20 or more years older, I’ve taken to these two smartphone tie-ins better than most people (who know me) seem to expect.
It’s because the touchscreen, while allowing unparalleled access to the ludicrous amount of onboard entertainment systems, electronic vehicular systems, and smartphone integration, is also a total drag to use in real life.
I have to take my eyes off the road to do anything on it, from adjusting the air conditioning to changing the music. I can’t just reach over and feel for a button or a knob that I know is there.
So the integration of voice assistants such as Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa is a lifesaver in heavy traffic and at highway speeds. I can control the complicated touchscreen without having to take my eyes off traffic and likely killing everyone.
It could be better, though. Just like these voice assistants on smartphones and smart home hubs, I could do with a little more cooperation from them. Now that Google has announced it’ll be integrating its Gemini generative AI into Android Auto, I’m both intrigued and anxious.
How well will it work? Will it hallucinate and tell me to eat glue when I ask it how to get to Trader Joe’s? Will it insult my taste in music when I change the station?
working smarter
As Google tells it, there are more than 50 car models that come with Google built into it, and more than 250 million individual cars on the road that support Android Auto. Unlike Apple’s smarter, sleeker CarPlay Ultra, which is debuting only on Aston Martins that cost as much as a house, the Gemini update is coming to all of Android Auto. No entry into the millionaire’s club required.
Generative AIs such as Gemini allow for more free-flowing conversations, so you can ask for food recommendations as you drive and then follow up on Gemini’s answer to fine-tune further recommendations.
It also connects more of your disparate apps, so you can ask it to dig through your Gmail inbox to pull long-buried information from old messages.
“(Gemini) Live is a conversational experience with Gemini that is a perfect fit in the car. Just say ‘Hey Google, let’s talk’ to brainstorm, explore and learn something new with Gemini,” writes Google, following up with an example of a person practicing a work meeting in the car on the way to work.
If Gemini’s integration into Android Auto can tie together the sometimes overwhelming mess of information emanating from cars’ touchscreens, then I’m here for it.
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