Google Smart Speaker: great hardware, but Gemini isn't ready for it

For years, smart speakers have been searching for a purpose beyond playing music and setting alarms. They're a bit like that techy ornament sitting in the kitchen, but you never quite know why. Artificial intelligence was supposed to be the game-changer, the plot twist that would make them indispensable. But are we sure that's the case?

Amazon, for instance, already made its attempt. It debuted new hardware powered by a revamped Alexa last fall, trying to refresh the concept. Now it's Google's turn, and expectations were, as always, sky-high. After all, the company has Gemini, its most talked-about AI model, ready to step onto the stage.

Yes, the hardware side gets full marks, apparently. Google has released a great smart speaker, well-built and with a design that looks good on any kitchen counter. So, from an aesthetic and functional point of view, regarding audio and basic responsiveness, it seems the job was done well. A nice device, in short, that performs its duty as a speaker.

This isn't a surprise; Google knows how to design hardware. The problem has never been there, but under the hood. That "smart" part that should distinguish these gadgets from a simple Bluetooth speaker. But hardware alone isn't enough anymore, right? It needs a brain, and that's where the famous Gemini, Google's much-hyped AI model, comes into play.

Ah, here's the rub. Despite the quality hardware, Gemini doesn't seem ready for daily life in a smart speaker yet. Reviews indicate its performance is still inconsistent, with responses ranging from brilliant to utterly useless. It's like having a genius who sometimes answers with the wisdom of an oracle and other times with the intelligence of a brick. The version of Gemini for smart speakers, as reported by The Verge, still lacks the necessary reliability.

This makes the user experience frustrating, undermining the entire concept of a "smart assistant." If you can't trust it to answer a complex question correctly, you might as well just ask for the time. So, for now, AI hasn't quite found its true purpose in smart speakers, leaving them still searching for that compelling "second act" everyone is waiting for. Maybe it needs more time, or perhaps a truly brilliant idea. Who can say?