What you need to know
- Google is showing live demos of Project Astra at the MWC this year and attendees could test it out on their phones.
- The company stated that it will start rolling out the live video and screen-sharing capabilities to Gemini Advanced subscribers later this month.
- Google has been trying to replace Assistant with Gemini for a while now, and this rollout could be a hint in that direction.
The yearly tech meet i.e., the Mobile World Congress(MWC) is underway in Barcelona, and while we're seeing several tech companies show off their latest innovations—Google didn't want to miss out on the fun.
It announced today, that its multimodal Gemini-powered—Project Astra will also be shown off at the MWC, as a part of how AI on Android devices can help simplify life for its users. In an attempt to do so, the company is said to allow people attending the MWC to test out the new version of Gemini Live firsthand.
"You can learn how Gemini Live can help you with complex topics (in multiple languages!), use Circle to Search to translate a menu, and check how the latest partner devices from Android are bringing these experiences to life," the press release stated.
Project Astra was first shown off at Google I/O last year, where a woman is seen interacting with her surroundings through her phone, asking the assistant about various objects placed on a table or even creating iterations about a golden retriever. It was fascinating to see how Gemini-Live has pushed the boundaries of the mere Google Search beyond just looking for something online. Now anyone could simply use "Circle to Search" on their devices to look up something they spotted within a different app.
With Project Astra, Google wants to make 'finding' things easier not just on your phone, but out in the world as well. There have also been some rumors recently on how Gemini will be replacing Google Assistant in the future. A deep dive into the latest beta version of the Google app revealed that "Hey Google" could be replaced with "Hey Gemini."
Now, with Google showing off Gemini's live video and screen sharing, this change could be coming sooner than we anticipated. The company stated that it will start rolling out the above multi-modal features to Gemini Advanced subscribers as part of the "Google One AI Premium plan on Android devices." While the company didn't specify exactly when we can see it on our devices, it did say "later this month" so we're hoping it could arrive on the next monthly update.
However, those present at the MWC can go check out all of Google's offerings at Android Avenue between Halls 2 and 3. "Try out these demos, and explore the show floor to collect our special edition Android pins at our partners’ booths," Google added.
