Google has begun implementing new artificial intelligence features in Gemini Live that allow it to “see” your smartphone screen or camera and answer questions in real time, Google spokesperson Alex Joseph confirmed in an email to The Verge. These features come almost a year after Google first demonstrated Project Astra, which powers them.
A Reddit user reported that the feature appeared on his Xiaomi phone, as spotted by 9to5Google. Today, the same user posted a video demonstrating the new screen-reading feature in Gemini. This is one of two features that Google announced in early March that it would “begin rolling out to Gemini subscribers as part of the Google One AI premium plan” later this month.
Google’s rollout of these features is a fresh example of the company’s leadership in the AI assistant space, as Amazon prepares limited early access to an Alexa Plus update and Apple has delayed the release of an updated Siri. Both should have capabilities similar to what Astra is starting to roll out now. Meanwhile, Samsung still has Bixby, but Gemini is nevertheless the default assistant on their phones.
