Here’s Google Assistant with Bard in action

It would seem Google Assistant with Bard is closer than ever to arriving on some phones. Announced back at the yearly Google hardware event in October of 2023, the overhauled and AI-injected Assistant with Bard has been leaking out here and there, and this latest look (from the Pixel Tips app) shows off the new, hopefully more-capable Assistant in action. Check it out!

Here is official Google's demo-video of Assistant with Bard for Pixel Tips app

So maybe we will see it in the next Pixel Feature Drop ? https://t.co/oPr7uEzx8R pic.twitter.com/XsDYIDROHV

— Наиль Садыков (@Nail_Sadykov) January 28, 2024

Limited initial release

According to Mishaal Rahman on X, we’ll only see Bard come to the aid of the ailing Assistant on a few phones to start; and likely in March. The publication date in the Pixel Tips app is set for March, so it’s a simple assumption that the earliest versions of Assistant with Bard will arrive with the March Pixel update. Additionally, it looks like we’ll only see an initial availability on Pixel slab phones with Tensor inside. Sorry Pixel Tablet, Pixel Fold, Pixel 5 and earlier. No Bard for you all just yet.

Assistant with Bard has appeared a bit early in the Pixel Tips app, giving us another look at how the upcoming feature will work.

But it also reveals when it'll arrive and on what devices it'll be available on. This is early info and could be wrong, but here's what I found:

1)… https://t.co/qIgSJ60WMl

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) January 28, 2024

But those restrictions – at least the Tensor-specific parts – will likely lift after some initial testing. If the Pixel 6 can handle Assistant with Bard, there’s no reason devices like the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold can’t do the same. When March rolls around, however, if you don’t have a Pixel 6, Pixel 7 or Pixel 8 around, you are likely going to be left out of the initial phases.

As I said above, I’m eager to see this all tested out by regular people. The Google Assistant has languished as a helpful, digital aid in the past year and it’s going to take a massive overhaul to convince users that they should even consider giving it a try again. While Bard (and Google’s Gemini overall) has the ability to bring that vitality back, I’m sure I speak for many users when I say that I’ll be taking a slow, measured approach to actually using any digital assistant for more than simple tasks like driving directions moving forward.