Google is preparing to update vehicles that have Google built-in with its Gemini AI assistant. This will be an upgrade from the current Google Assistant according to Google’s announcement, and promises to provide an improved experience for natural conversations, fetching vehicle-specific information, settings adjustments, and more.
“When cars with Google built-in first hit the road in 2020, we made a commitment that your car will get better over time,” Google senior product manager Alankar Agnihotri said in the announcement. “That means that Gemini is coming not only to new cars, but also to existing ones through a software update.”
The announcement isn’t a total surprise, given General Motors already announced yesterday that Gemini was coming to 4 million model year 2022 and newer cars, including Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC vehicles. But Google didn’t specify any particular model support, which suggests the Gemini update won’t be exclusive to GM vehicles. The software update rollout will start with English in the US and continue over the coming months.
The improvements should allow drivers to engage in more natural conversations with the chatbot, such as asking for nearby restaurant recommendations and playlist suggestions, instead of memorizing a rigid set of commands. Gemini can also summarize and respond to text messages, provide real-time updates about your journey, and answer specific questions about your car — including EV insights like current battery levels.
The option to upgrade to Gemini will appear to eligible users who are signed into their Google Account in their car. Google says its planning to expand the upgrade to additional regions and languages, and “give drivers the ability to safely access their info in apps like Gmail, Calendar and Google Home” sometime in the near future.
