Google Assistant’s voice is changing – but I’m not a fan

If you have a Google Home ecosystem, you’ll be pleased to hear that Google Assistant is getting some exciting updates. This week, Google announced plans to update the voice assistant using Gemini, to make it more natural and conversational – but after hearing it, I’m not completely sold.

Google has announced many new plans and releases this week, including the new Google TV Streamer and the introduction of Gemini to Nest Cams for better camera detection and history viewing. But this new update is all about Google Assistant, as Google focuses on applying large language models to improve its user experiences.

Later this year, Google Assistant, which is available to use on all Google devices including the best smart speakers, will be given a variety of new voices to make interacting with it more conversational. Using Gemini technology, Google Assistant  will be able to better understand what you’re saying and asking, and will be able to chat more naturally and helpfully.

Google isn’t the only manufacturer that’s making these types of changes. In late 2023, Amazon announced that Alexa will be made a lot smarter and chattier with AI upgrades, to improve how it understands and responds to your requests, and now Google is taking these steps too.

Having heard the new Google Assistant voice myself, I’m going to be completely honest… I don’t like it! While I understand why smart home brands are updating their voice assistants, I don’t think the voice that the assistant uses is something that needs to be focused on. Instead, I think how the conversation flows between users and the voice assistant should be further developed – something that Google is also planning.

Aside from the more human-sounding voice, Google Assistant will make it easier to ask follow-up questions without the need to stop and re-prompt Google for the answers. Instead, you can have a back-and-forth conversation with Google Assistant without having to constantly say ‘Hey Google’ or ‘OK Google’ to continue the chat.

With the use of Gemini’s generative capabilities, Google Assistant can also bring more fun into a discussion or ‘Q&A’ session, and you can ask it to debate with you. These updates are the ones I’m most excited to see because –  call me crazy – but I don’t mind the slightly robotic-sounding voice!

The updated Google Assistant voice won’t be available until later this year. It’s expected to roll out to Nest Aware subscribers in Public Preview.