Google announced on Friday that it will phase out Google Assistant later this year, replacing it with its more advanced, AI-powered assistant, Gemini.
In a blog post, the tech giant outlined its plan to transition users to Gemini across all devices. While Google did not specify an exact timeline for the shift, it confirmed that Google Assistant will no longer be available on most mobile devices by the end of the year.
Launched in 2016, Google Assistant was built around natural language processing and voice recognition. However, Gemini, which was introduced last year, is a generative AI assistant designed for more sophisticated reasoning, multimodal understanding (incorporating text, images, and audio), and deeper, more interactive conversations.
Google stated that millions of users have already transitioned from Assistant to Gemini, with plans to expand this shift to additional mobile devices in the coming months.
“Our mission to build the world’s most helpful assistant remains unchanged, but we’ve reimagined the experience with AI at its core to make Gemini your personal, AI-powered assistant,” the company explained. “As our expectations of what an assistant can do evolve, Gemini is designed to meet those changing needs.”
Google added that many users have shared positive feedback, highlighting how helpful the new AI-powered features are in their everyday lives. As part of the transition, popular features from Google Assistant, such as music playback and setting timers, have been incorporated into Gemini to ensure a smooth switch.
