- Google's Gemini AI Assistant is likely hitting your car (Android Auto) and couch (Google TV) this fall.
- Timeline is now tighter, but still vague.
- Gemini on phones and watches was just a warm-up.
Grok may already be riding shotgun in Teslas, but Google isn’t about to let Elon Musk have all the fun. This fall, Gemini, the search giant’s AI assistant, may be scheduled to roll into Android Auto dashboards and also make an appearance on Google-powered TVs:
“At its Made by Google event this week, Rick Osterloh confirmed the company’s AI assistant will hit Android Auto, Google TV, and a new wave of smart speakers and displays sometime this fall.” (Android Police)
If phones and watches were just the appetizer, cars and living rooms are the main course. It’s another step in the race to make AI less of a novelty app and more of a constant companion, whether you’re navigating traffic or binge-watching late-night reruns.
Gemini Rolls Out Across Android Ecosystems
Google has hinted again that this fall is when we’re likely to see its well-regarded AI assistant and chatbot, Gemini, come to cars equipped with Android Auto. In about the same timeframe we’re also likely to see the tech embedded into Google TV.
The difference between AI and the existing Google Assistant should be significant. While Assistant is decent for basic commands, and simple back and forths (with no context, or at least very little), Gemini will be able to hold advanced conversations, provide complex reasoning (“Find a restaurant between here and my destination that has good reviews and won’t add more than 10 minutes to my trip”), be an excellent brainstorming partner, and enable continuity across platforms and locations thanks to context.
Google demonstrated Gemini and Google TV at CES earlier this year.
Fall is the New “Coming Months”
First, it was a vague May timeline, but with all the competition in the AI space, and the incredible opportunity to further lock-in customers to their own ecosystems, leading companies in the space like Meta, Amazon, OpenAI, Anthropic, Perplexity, and Google are moving at lightning speed. Apple, at least in my view, is perhaps a laggard. That may change as CEO Tim Cook has hinted at potential AI-related acquisitions.
Google rapidly integrated AI into its crown jewel: Google Search. Users can easily dive deep into search using Gemini by tapping a prevalent AI button. Or, they can continue to use Google in a traditional manner.
It would only make sense that after that priority, the company would turn to its major platforms including Android Auto and Google TV. Both are obvious targets for Gemini AI. And together, they bring AI into two places we spend a lot of time: behind the wheel and on the couch.
What Gemini Brings to the Driver’s Seat
With Gemini, natural language commands should get a quantum leap in improvement. “Hey Google, play my favorite tunes until I hit my destination.”. Or controlling various functions on the car. “Hey Google, set the temperature to 72 degrees.”
Beyond those simple examples, you could do the usual AI assisted things you might otherwise do while working Gemini in a web browser. You could get a head start on an upcoming meeting or presentation by researching topics, and diving deep into various subject matter and data that could help jumpstart your prep. Then, assuming these threads are synced, you could finish the work in the Gemini thread in a browser when you get into work.
This sort of functionality is nothing new. Tesla has this capability with the infamously risqué Grok AI onboard, available to drivers with a push of the right button on the steering wheel.
Gemini Also in the Family Room
Similar functionality will drop soon for Google TV. And, again, this will open up a bunch of enhanced features. Basically, wherever we are, be it work, at home, or commuting, Gemini should be at hand to help us be more productive or to simply entertain us as AI chatbats are wont to do (especially ChatGPT!).
What it can do at home? Google said back in May to expect smarter searching, recommendations, contextual queries like “find age-appropriate action movies” or “show YouTube clips about the solar system.”
The Bigger Picture: Google’s Omni-Device AI Ambitions
Platforms like Google and Meta and Apple have a potential advantage over pure LLM players like Anthropic and OpenAi. That is: they can leverage their hardware businesses (and other services) to expand AI into devices that us consumers use daily. So things like smartwatches, our phones, TVs and cars are all possible places to entrench the technology.
On the other hand, pure play LLMs, in their current forms, are either serving up AI directly through a web site (e.g. chatgpt.com), or through an API, or, directly into existing development tools (e.g. Claude Code). There’s an interesting bifurcation in these strategies that play to all of these company’s strengths and ambitions.
Ultimately, Google sees Gemini as a form of connectivity tissue.
What’s Still a Mystery and The Road Ahead
The exact timing for Gemini in our cars and TVs is not known. Given how fluid things are in the world of AI, this is no surprise. Meta’s recent reorganization (breaking its Super Intelligence org into 4 teams) illustrates that breakneck speed and innovation is increasingly tricky against hyper fast start-ups that well funded and can move on a dime (Anthropic, Perplexity, OpenAI, etc.).
Delays are likely due to getting the technology right. A bad user experience could be disastrous at launch. Do it right, and Google could get a leg up on Apple and its own in-car technology, CarPlay.
Google’s push to embed Gemini across Android Auto and Google TV represents more than just feature additions; it’s a strategic play to make AI as ubiquitous as search itself. While competitors like Tesla’s Grok have already hit the road, and Apple remains characteristically cautious, Google is betting that its ecosystem advantage will prove decisive. Google’s track record with Android and its widespread use proves the company can get these things right, even if there are bumps here and there. With over 250 million cars supporting Android Auto, the Gemini opportunity is massive.
The question isn’t if this AI-everywhere future will arrive (it already has), but whether Google’s version will be the one that sticks.
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