- I saw new Gemini features coming to some Google TVs in late 2025.
- Some Gemini features are already available on the Google Streamer.
- Google Assistant's Gemini update also brings new Smart Home functionality.
Google is showcasing a new AI-powered Google Assistant at CES 2025 that'll bring several great new features to select smart home devices and TVs throughout the year, like being able to control your TV with just your presence or by having more advanced conversations with your smart display.
With Google Gemini racing to win the AI crown in 2025, it was only a matter of time before we'd find it in more devices, and it's getting more seamless with each iteration, from what I saw during a demonstration of the new features.
The first was a new version of the Google Assistant with some Gemini smarts that made getting to your optimal movie night vibe quick and easy. By just asking Google TV 'hey Google, let's start movie night', this new home automation feature dimmed the lights, set the thermostat a little bit cooler, and used ambient light sensors to subtly adjust the lighting in the back of the TV to match the room in a blink of the eye.
Another update that's set to come to more Google TVs is the new and improved landing page for movies and TV shows that have AI summaries of what the title is about and what reviews have said of it, which are currently available on the Google Streamer.
The upgraded Google Assitant for Google TVs also tailors its response to the type of question you ask. For instance, if you ask it to 'explain the solar system to a third grader, ' the model will serve up links to relevant YouTube content that are personalized to kids, which is a great way to make such a communal device safe for anyone who uses it.
Google wants to make your TV the new smart home controller
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"This is our vision for what the future of TV is in 2025," Google's Jamison Brittle told me of the makeshift living room that the company had set up to demonstrate the new Gemini features in Google TV.
The TV is traditionally a very communal device, but when you're not watching, say, one of the best movies of 2024, it does end up being a black screen in your space. The new update will change this by introducing a new smart hub to Google TVs by integrating RADAR sensors to detect movement.
Just like Google TV's fancy new AI-generated wallpapers update in October 2024 – Samsung had also introduced AI wallpapers to its Samsung TVs during that month – the new smart hub adds new ways to interact with your display.
From simply using your presence to turn on your TV to using voice commands to control it, I could see how the new 'smarts' offered a completely hands-free way of interacting with the display, something my colleague Jacob Krol likened to The Force.
Standing just nine feet away from a custom-built Google TV, I was able to turn on the TV to bring up the Ambient Mode display, which can cycle through AI-generated art or your Google Photos if you prefer. As I got closer to the TV and sat down in front of it, the art gave way to a new smart home hub with customized widgets like a calendar, news, and weather.
Google remembers the entire history of you
One new Google Nest feature, already available to select subscribers of 'Public Preview,' is the ability to search the camera's history in the Google Home app using voice commands.
This allows you to be able to ask questions like, did the dog go outside today? Was the trash taken to the street yesterday? Did the USPS truck stop by yet today? But my favorite question was from the demo I got with product manager for Google Assistant and Gemini Vincent Lacey.
After saying, 'hey Google, what happened to the cookies on the counter?' the Google Nest Hub smart display searched through the Nest's camera history to produce a video of a seemingly innocent dog cheekily taking said cookies off the kitchen bench.
I'm not sure about you, but this immediately made me think of one of the best Black Mirror episodes, 'The Entire History of You,' where everyone has a video camera installed in their head that they can use to recall every moment from their lives. Dystopian AI fears aside; our furry friends are going to have a harder time getting away with their old tricks with this new feature...
Cooking with AI to generate recipes and nutritional facts
Lacey also demonstrated new ways that Google Assistant with Gemini can help in the kitchen, such as deciding what to do with leftovers or learning more about the nutritional status of different ingredients.
It's these types of helpful search queries that'll continue to be built upon and advanced that'll find their way into more Google devices as updates are rolled out. Make sure to check back with TechRadar to learn more about when we can expect these features to become available.
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