Here’s an early look at the Google Assistant with Bard

The launch of Google’s new AI-enhanced Assistant with Bard might be right around the corner. As we’ve seen the current Google Assitant get less and less capable, the promise of a new Assitant with the AI smarts of Bard is something that has me excited about a digital personal assistant again. The announcement of the new Assistant was one of the most exciting parts of the Made by Google Pixel 8 event back in October 2023 and I have been anxiously waiting for something to leak or for Google to show us more. And now, thanks to the folks over at 9to5Google, we have our best look yet at the new Assistant with Bard, providing us with a glimpse into the new designs and features. Here’s what we know so far about these exciting developments.

New ways to access AI through the Assistant

In the images and videos from 9to5, It looks like Google plans to feature the Assistant with Bard on the Discover page of the Google Search app. A new button, resembling a physical slider switch, has been placed above the Google logo, allowing users to easily toggle between a standard Google Search and AI-powered assistance.

When you toggle on the Assistant, a full-screen window appears that says, “Hi! I’m Assistant with Bard. I can help you be more creative and productive” with a Get Started button at the bottom. While it’s not clear if this placement will be a permanent fixture or just a temporary measure to get users to try out the Assitant with Bard, it’s exciting to see the new Assitant in action.

Additionally, we get our first detailed look at the popup window for the Assistant with Bard, which gives users the option to type, talk, or share a photo. This integration hopefully means that users can invoke the AI in familiar ways, such as long-pressing the Power button or using the “Hey Google” voice command.

The Assistant popup is also gearing up to prominently suggest upgrading to the Bard AI-enhanced Assistant. A new popup is shown above the typical Assistant interface that says “Try Assistant with Bard” along with a “Try now” button. Google cleary wants users to get more familiar with Bard and its capabilities.

Is the Assistant with Bard coming soon?

While Assistant with Bard is not yet available to the public, these latest design updates signal that the official launch is on the horizon. Although Google has been using AI behind the scenes for years, the new Assistant with Bard aims to create a more consumer-level AI that will be integrated into the thing that you carry around with you all day – your phone. With these seamless integrations into Discover and Google Search, I think the new Assistant will be a game-changer in how we interact with our devices. Although these new features aren’t public yet, I am hopeful they are a sign of a formal launch coming soon.