Google wants Gemini to be the preeminent AI, I’m sure, but it’s stuck in a competitive battle with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, and Perplexity, not to mention Meta AI bringing up the rear somewhere back there.
Gemini Live is Google’s stab at a real-time, conversational AI assistant, but it’s been a bit light on depth. Google’s latest addition of five new features is a step in the right direction.
the five new features
The latest update to Gemini Live’s language learning adds “tailored practice in the areas you need it most,” as Google puts it. “Ask Gemini to quiz you on multiples of 10 in Korean, or practice casual greetings in Spanish.”
Next up in the string of new feature additions is the ability to ask Google to give you a “crash course” in a topic and then tell it to speed the hell up and talk faster, if you think it’s taking too long or if you don’t have much time. I like that Google gives the example of a student heading to class, because this is totally how it’s going to be used. A lot.
Google also says that the new update will let you “practice for your next big moment, whether you’re rehearsing for a job interview or preparing for a difficult conversation. Gemini’s ability to respond to your situation creates an approachable practice environment to build your confidence and refine your communication skills.”
And, well, that’s all Google says on the matter. I frankly don’t know what the hell that means, since it has all the specificity of a fortune cookie fortune. I’m not sure that should’ve ever counted as one of the five new feature updates.
Another supposed feature is the ability to ask Gemini Live to read to you an example of “dramatic storytelling,” but from the example given it seems like just asking for creative non-fiction able historical figures or, perhaps, events and places.
The last of the five feature updates is, perhaps, the simplest, but it’s also the one that I think is the most fun. It’s accents. You can ask it to talk like a cowboy or a Cockney gangster. I’m eager to see if I can get it to talk like Michael Caine doing an impression of the queen while giving me instructions on how to bake bread.
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