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Google Assistant is slowly taking over the world
Google CEO Sundar Pichai says that Google Assistant is now available on more than 100 million devices with 70 home automation partners.
As you may already know, almost 90 percent of all smartphones in the world run on Android. In fact, having surpassed 1.5 million daily activations four years ago, the ubiquity of Google’s operating system is unparalleled. And that’s precisely why Google’s effort to expand the presence of its AI assistant has been so smooth and far-reaching.
Back in March, the search giant announced that Google Assistant would be available on any Android device running Marshmallow or Nougat, and during Alphabet’s Q2 earnings call yesterday, Sundar Pichai gave us the number of devices that have Google Assistant on-board:
People are no longer only using a keyboard, mouse, and multi-touch, but are also using emerging inputs like voice and camera to ask questions and get things done in the real world. We are seeing this in the way people interact with the Google Assistant, which is already now available on more than 100 million devices since launching last year, and there is more to come.
Pichai added that there are already more than 70 home automation partners for Google Assistant on its smart speaker and Android phones in general and said that Google would be focusing “over the long-term on making sure the Assistant can actually help people get things done in the real world.”
Although 100 million is impressive, at the same time, it gives us a clue as to how Google Home is doing – and it’s not doing so well.
Although the fact that Google Assistant now lives inside more than 100 million devices is impressive, at the same time, it gives us a clue as to how Google Home is doing – and it’s not doing so well. Last May, the company said Google Assistant was available on 100 million “Android devices,” and the number is apparently the same for all devices, meaning non-Android devices like the Google Home aren’t selling well enough to make a significant difference.
In fact, according to a recent report by eMarketer, more and more people in the US are using home assistants, but Amazon’s Echo devices account for over 70 percent. With Amazon’s portfolio of Alexa-powered speakers, as well as growing competition from companies like Apple, Essential, and Samsung, Google Assistant’s success will largely depend on the number of developers who take advantage of the Assistant SDK to create more accurate, more fun, and more creative content for the AI assistant.
Do you use Google Assistant? Which AI assistant is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!