Google Assistant Features ‘Degrading’ Amidst Gemini’s AI Rise

The beloved Google Assistant is no longer the AI-powered tech from Mountain View that became its stellar feature for all on-device assistance needs. The tech is claimed to be 'degrading' now. Its deteriorating qualities are attributed to the rise of Gemini AI, Google's renowned multimodal model that sees the latest features and improvements from the company.

Google previously said that Gemini would be the central focus of its AI development, effectively replacing Bard and the improved counterpart of Assistant.

Google Assistant Features are 'Degrading'

A new report by 9to5Google details the many degrading features of Google Assistant in the present. It expects that more features will see a significant downgrade compared to its former glorious reign on devices. There are still useful features available on Assistant today, but there is a considerable decline in what it offers users amidst the AI shift.

One example would be voice search on Google TV, with Assistant offering responses to users for voice commands, and before, it has done an excellent job. However, recent tests show that it is not as accurate and consistent anymore.

Moreover, Nest Hub's Google Assistant also sees this quality deterioration in terms of what it offers users.

Is Google's Gemini AI to Blame?

It is known that Google is now encouraging Android users to switch to Gemini AI as the new voice assistant over the Google Assistant technology. The internet company is putting massive importance on Gemini as its more capable AI assistant despite the negative reviews about it, with many still saying that Assistant is better.

Users have also recently been complaining about the deterioration of their assistants in various online forums.

Google Assistant and AI

For many years, Google Assistant has been the go-to technology for Mountain View's apps and devices for all their voice commands and needs, rivaling Apple's Siri, Samsung's Bixby, and more. Previously, it was pitted against renowned voice assistants, including Amazon's Alexa, Bixby, and Siri, with renowned tech influencer MKBHD claiming that Google Assistant was the best.

However, that changed when Google went all in with its AI developments, and it initially started with Bard in 2023 and then with Gemini in early 2024. Last January, it was known that Google laid off employees from its Google Assistant department, and it saw restructuring efforts from the company, which also led to several features being removed from the technology.

Now, Google is touting Gemini as its trustworthy source and most advanced AI model yet, one that is available to access on devices and other Google apps. This begs the question of "what is Google Assistant's place in all of this," especially as Gemini is taking shape as the point person for all of Google's AI offerings for the world, with Assistant seeing its features degrade over time.