Google Assistant becomes smarter, to get six new voices
San Francisco, May 9: Making the competition in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered assistants space tougher, Google on Tuesday announced that people will soon have a choice of choosing from six voices, including one of musician John Legend, to talk to "Google Assistant".
At its annual developer conference Google I/O, the company said these six options, which feature both male and female voices, would be rolled out later this year.
Company CEO Sundar Pichai said that Google has been working on newer and more life-like version of its spoken AI that features natural voice that is "closer to how humans speak."
The improvements include more natural pauses "that have meaning" and other subtleties to help create a "more natural dialogue" with Assistant.
This new version of the Assistant is built on a tech machine learning technology called Wavenet, which the company started building out some 18 months ago.
Now instead of having to say "Hey Google" or "OK Google" every time to give a command, users only have to do this one time and then have a conversation with the Assistant.
Google calls this feature "continued conversation" and it'll roll out in the coming week.
The new powerful Assistant can now distinguish between two sentences that are joined by "and" and can reply with two different query-specific answers in one go.
The tech giant wants to bundle its voice assistant into every device and app and is bringing Google Assistant in Google Maps. It'll be available on iOS and Android this summer.
Users can now share estimated time of arrival with their contacts without touching the device.
Further, the Assistant would soon be able make calls for you to make reservations at restaurants or salons.
It would also teach children to use polite language when interacting with the Google Assistant's "Pretty Please feature. When kids say "Please" during a command, they would receive thanks from the virtual assistant in response.
Google says that "Pretty Please" feature would launch later this year.
The company also brought Assistant-powered Smart Displays. These devices would be launched in July.
Pichai also showcased a revamped Gmail and announced another new feature called "Smart Compose," which will help users write emails using machine learning technology.
As you type, Smart Compose pops up suggestions about what you might want to write next - similar to Google autocomplete.
"As the name suggests, we use machine learning to start suggesting phrases for you. All you have to do is hit tab to keep auto-completing. In this case, it understands the subject is ataco Tuesday.' It takes care of mundane things like addresses so you can focus on what you want to type," Pichai explained.
The feature would be rolled it out to all users this month.
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May review decision of withdrawing support to Manipur’s BJP govt if CM is replaced: NPP
Imphal, Nov 21: The National People's Party (NPP), which recently withdrew support from Manipur’s BJP-led government alleging that the administration failed to resolve the crisis and restore normalcy, on Thursday said the party may reconsider the decision if the saffron party replaces Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
NPP national vice-president Yumnam Joykumar Singh also said that three of the party’s seven MLAs attended a meeting convened by the CM, but they should not have done so since support was withdrawn from the government.
The withdrawal of support on Sunday, however, did not have any impact on the BJP-led government, as the saffron party enjoys absolute majority with its 32 MLAs in the 60-member House. The Naga People’s Front and the JD(U) are also in the ruling coalition.
"CM Biren Singh has totally failed to bring normalcy to Manipur. That is the main reason for our national president (Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma) to withdraw support for it. In case Biren is replaced, there is a possibility that a new government might take the steps required to restore normalcy. The NPP may reconsider its position at that time," Joykumar Singh told PTI.
He claimed that three NPP MLAs might have joined the November 18 meeting chaired by the CM because of “confusion”.
“The meeting was for NDA legislators. We have withdrawn support to the Biren Singh-led government but we are still NDA partners. However, we have cautioned our MLAs that attending such meetings without prior approval from the state or national president may lead to disciplinary actions," the NPP vice-president said.
Asked about media reports on notices sent to the NDA MLAs who were absent at the November 18 meeting, he said he did not think anything like that was sent to NPP legislators.
“Three NPP MLAs were present at the meeting while four were not. We are not aware of any notifications sent by Biren Singh. He might have sent notices to the BJP MLAs but that is their internal matter. He has no mandate to send notices to NPP MLAs," Joykumar Singh said.
On the Centre's decision to deploy an additional 50 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) in the state because of escalated violence, he said, "My assessment is no further deployment of security forces is required. The state is already over-saturated with security forces and it is a question of how to utilise them effectively."
Joykumar Singh, a former director general of police in Manipur, said that it appears from the current state of affairs that the additional companies of CAPF have been sent to protect the residences of MLAs and ministers.
Protestors recently attacked the residences of several ministers and legislators in Manipur.
Manipur has seen a fresh wave of protests after six people – three Meitei women and three children - went missing from a camp for displaced persons in Jiribam last week, following a gunfight between armed men and security forces that resulted in the deaths of 10 Kuki youths.
More than 220 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May last year.
