“Google restructures Assistant leadership to put a higher priority on sophisticated AI”

“Google restructures Assistant leadership to put a higher priority on sophisticated AI”
According to a leaked internal memo obtained by CNBC, Google is reorganizing its Assistant leadership to focus on advanced AI capabilities. The reorganization was disclosed in a memo to staff members on Wednesday by Sissie Hsiao, the vice president of Google Assistant’s business section. Jianchang “JC” Mao, the assistant’s longtime vice president of engineering, was informed in the message that he would be departing the business for personal reasons. To take over his position, Google VP Peeyush Ranjan, who previously worked on Google Pay, will be focusing on developing the Bard AI chatbot. Mao played a key role in shaping the Assistant as we know it today on Android and Google’s smart home devices. Google Assistant engineering vice president, Amar Subramanya, has been appointed to lead the engineering team for Bard AI, indicating a shift in the company’s resource allocation. According to a communication obtained by CNBC, Sissie Hsiao, the vice president of Google Assistant’s business unit, explained to employees that the company intends to continue supporting and executing opportunities related to Bard AI. Hsiao added that the company has been focused on delivering impactful products to its users, more so this year than ever before
Is Google about to give Google Assistant access to Bard-powered AI?
Bard may be integrated into Google Assistant as the Bard team grows larger and the Assistant team becomes smaller. As competing voice assistants like Amazon Alexa face an uncertain future, the increasing investment in AI could provide a reason to support Assistant while highlighting Bard’s practical applications.
If Bard is integrated into Google Assistant, what will happen to the effectiveness of the Assistant, which is widely considered to be the most comprehensive smart assistant? Currently, the trend in AI is towards more natural conversations with users, where the algorithm provides increasingly detailed and personalized responses as users interact with it. This is similar to how the Assistant currently operates, using a simulated conversational style that is programmed by developers and users through app integrations and routines.
If Google Assistant is integrated with Bard, there is a potential benefit that it could become more personalized and natural in its interactions with users. It would be fascinating to have the assistant respond in a way that is more in line with my preferences. For instance, when discussing the weather, I often use colorful language or add comments. Rather than merely informing me that it will rain, I would appreciate it if the Google Assistant suggested something like, “Why not wear your rain boots with your outfit today?” Whereas the Google Assistant team must prepare such responses in advance, Bard may be able to produce them instantly. It’s worrisome to note that Google has appointed a former head of its fintech division to lead the Assistant, rather than someone with a stronger background in computerized human interaction.
Google has a reputation for hastily discontinuing products and implementing unwelcome alterations. Currently, Google Assistant is performing exceptionally, while Bard is only in its second week. Although this may be a sufficient reason to allocate more resources to Bard, it also suggests a reckless “move fast and break things” approach, which could potentially result in the assistant becoming less functional or being terminated.