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Google wants to make its generative AI, Bard, easier for Android users to use. To do this, the company is making a future homescreen widget that will only be available on Pixel phones and tablets for now.
Bard is only available on its own website right now, but Google has been slowly working to add its AI tech to more of its products, like Gmail and Docs. Now, 9to5Google says that new code shows that Bard AI is coming soon to Android, “complete with a homescreen widget.” It’s not clear yet if it will be part of the Google Search app or if it will be a separate app.
It’s also not clear if the widget will give you direct access to Bard AI or if it will offer ways to talk to the AI chatbot.
Bard is Google’s answer to ChatGPT and the new Bing, which are also generative AI models. Bard can be used on Android right now through a web browser, but it’s not as well integrated as GPT-4 is into Microsoft’s Edge and Bing. Bard is currently only available on the web, so the new homescreen app is a much-needed upgrade. The fact that only Pixel owners can use it could be a way to get people to buy Google’s devices.
It’s also possible that Pixel owners will be able to skip the waitlist for the restricted preview of Bard, or that Google will remove the waitlist soon. It’s important to note that Bard AI isn’t available in Canada right now, and if the new Pixel app came out soon, Canadians probably wouldn’t be able to use it.
At this year’s I/O conference, Google is likely to make more AI-related news and talk more about the Pixel widget.
