Google has officially retired its decade-old Assistant and replaced it with Gemini for Home, a conversational AI model that now powers every Nest and Google Home device dating back to 2016.
Even first-generation devices will get the upgrade, part of a sweeping rollout described in The Verge’s coverage of the announcement.
What sets Gemini apart is how naturally it engages. Instead of short, stiff replies, it delivers context-rich answers.
Ask it whether the weekend is good for a barbecue, and it will check the forecast and suggest the sunnier day.
This marks a major shift from a command-and-control voice assistant to something more like a conversational partner.
Alongside the AI upgrade, Google is launching Google Home Premium, an evolved subscription that includes Gemini Live for real-time dialogue and smarter security features tied to its new Nest cameras and video doorbells.
The new subscription model and fresh Nest lineup were detailed during Google’s fall event and unpacked further in TechCrunch’s report on the launch.
The new AI is also deeply integrated into the redesigned Google Home app, which now introduces “Home Briefs” to summarize household activity and smarter automations powered by natural language.
This evolution of the app has been highlighted in Android Central’s early hands-on with Gemini integration, showing how the assistant moves beyond devices and into everyday routines.
Gemini’s debut doesn’t happen in isolation. Amazon has recently rolled out Alexa+, upgrading its Echo line with context-aware AI and improved home security tools.
The escalating fight for dominance in the living room was underscored in Reuters’ report on Amazon’s refreshed smart home ecosystem.
From my perspective, this feels like Google finally shedding its cautious skin. For years, Assistant played the role of a basic helper, handy but never truly intuitive.
Gemini, on the other hand, is pitched as a system that remembers, contextualizes, and anticipates.
If it works as seamlessly as promised, those frustrating moments of yelling the same command at a speaker may soon be history.
Still, I can’t shake the thought: when every device in the house is “thinking” with Gemini at the center, are we still in charge of the home — or is Google?
