Remember Google Now? Google’s first try at building a predictive search engine changed how I used my phone and gave my old Galaxy S3 another year’s of life.Then came Assistant, the powerful and scrappy voice AI that was demonstrably better than Alexa, Siri, and Bixby. It becamemy all-knowing companion, and has been for nearly a decade now, from smartphones to smart home gear.
Then there was Bard, which I never got to play with because, well, I’m in Canada. And nowhere comes Gemini, a rebranding for Bard and, seemingly, a replacement for Assistant. With each new AI toy Google unveils, it’s getting harder to wonder when it will get axed for something new. Let’s have an honest conversation about this — is Gemini here to stay, or is it just another shiny thing to play with before the next one comes along?
Google’s infamous graveyard
Shutting down products is nothing new for Google, and certainly isn’t an AI-focused problem. I remember where I was when I learned Google was shutting down Inbox. I also remember that I was more resigned than surprised. Sure, it was just an email app, but I had built entire workflows around it during its four years of life. Google took most of the helpful features away, such as smart email bundling.
You would’ve thought I’d learn a lesson from it, especially since this wasn’t my first rodeo. I was one of the few who were completely invested inGoogle+, the company’s attempt at a social media experience. There was a small but dedicated tech community there and we had some great discussions — that is, until Google pulled the rug out from under us and shut it all down. The same thing happened with itsNexus phone program, and despite the Pixel program serving as a replacement (which I eventually bought into), I initially purchased an iPhone out of fury.
Reader, Stadia, Hangouts — the list goes on and on. NowI’m staring at Gemini, Google’s latest shiny offering, and I’m not sure exactly where it’s supposed to fit in — and whether or not it’s meant to replace any of the services I’m already using. Gemini’s launch feels eerily familiar. It echoes Bard’s arrival, with Assistant seemingly left on the back burner. In fact, GeminidisablesAssistant when installed. That spells trouble.
Assistant exists alongside Gemini, although Google claims Gemini will power Assistant, at least for the time being.
Assistant’s downgrade
Google’s AI evolution seems chaotic
Assistant launched in 2016, snagging its own app and prime Pixel real estate. In those early days, it combined AI-like smarts with the ability to pull data from Google services. Duplex arrived, adding helpful capabilities like booking appointments and waiting on hold for you. For eight years, Assistant felt like a core offering… But Bard changed everything.
The clumsy Bard rollout felt rushed, like Google scrambling to catch up with Microsoft and OpenAI. My location barred me from even trying Bard — legal concerns, Google said. Yet, competitors had no such constraints. Assistant felt neglected, andcommunities on Reddithave been full of complaints about Google Assistant over the past year.
I began to fear its replacement. Sure enough, when Bard morphed into Gemini, my suspicions spiked. Assistant has shown signs of deliberate degradation for over a year and I’m not sure it’s going to stick around.
Google Gemini seems like old wine in a new bottle
Why not just keep Assistant and make it better?
Gemini excels on paper. But haven’t we heard its promises before? Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT offer similar features and often outperform Gemini in speed. Gemini admittedly has more personality than the other two, and feels close to Assistant’s established style of perkiness. So what’s the point of Gemini?
The truth is Google Gemini is a conversational LLM while Assistant is a digital voice assistant. Gemini struggles to turn off lights or create calendar events, while Assistant cannot draft an email to your boss explaining why you were sick all last week. Google is seemingly shooting itself in the foot by disabling Assistant and replacing it with Gemini. What Google should have done is integrate Gemini’s smarts into Assistant, making it the single greatest AI on the planet.
Instead, Google is handicapping both of its offerings, and is clearly aiming to add Assistant to the graveyard. It’s hard to invest in Gemini at this point, not knowing how long it will stick around.
Does Google have a roadmap for this?
Or is this just Google flailing around with a shiny new toy again?
Google is offering two months of Gemini Advanced for free, and it comes with two terabytes of Google One storage. So, of course, I signed up. But I’ve done so tepidly, because I’m not sure of Google’s roadmap, or if it even has one.
It seems like Google is doing the same thing with AI it did with messaging, flailing around and renaming things and pretending it knows what it’s doing. We had Hangouts for a long time, and then came everything else. Allo, Chat, RCS — it’s impossible to keep straight. Don’t panic if this all sounds confusing. It’s the Google way.
User mistrust has consequences
We’re all getting a little tired of AI, and we don’t trust Google
Assistant has shown signs of deliberate degradationfor over a year, further eroding trust. This, coupled with Google’s erratic AI antics, raises a question: Will Gemini face the same doom as so many Google products before it? User adoption hinges on overcoming this skepticism. Personally, I have more faith in ChatGPT’s longevity; Google’s actions have damaged its credibility.
Also, AI fatigue is real. Tech giantsshoving AI into everythingworsens the situation. Couple this fatigue with Google’s graveyard track record and a worthy competitor like ChatGPT, already well-established… Will anyone truly bother with Gemini? Can Google prove this isn’t just another doomed experiment? More importantly, what will become of Google Assistant?
