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Google I/O 2016: Google Assistant wants to help you get things done

And have a little chat with you

Google I/O 2016: Google Assistant wants to help you get things done
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If you say "okay Google" to your Android device, and then ask it a question, it will pull up a search of the question on Google. Handy if you're in a rush, but a bit naff compared to Siri or Cortana.

Enter Google Assistant, a handy piece of AI that wants to help you "get things done in your world". In a manner of speaking.

Take out the marketing spiel and what Google is providing is an enhancement to the voice search functionality.

Before you'd ask Google a question and a bunch of links would appear. That still happens. The difference here is that Google voices the answer and is standing by for follow-up questions.

So you could ask which football team won the world cup in 1966, and then follow that up with who captained that team. Google will understand the context from the first question, so won't need a reminder.

It will also provide you with related information or tasks you can perform, like which team ended up in the final if you asked the previous question, or suggest you reserve a table if you're searching a restaurant.

It all sounds very handy, and we can't wait to see it in action when it launches later this year.

Chris James
Chris James
A footy game fanatic and experienced editor of numerous computing and game titles, lively Chris is up for anything - including running Steel Media! (Madman!)