Apple Allows Google's Gemini Browser on iPhone Devices
Apple fanatics curious about what Apple Intelligence may become in the coming months don't need to go far or invest in the latest iPhones to get a glimpse. On Thursday, Google introduced the Buzz app on iOS, allowing iPhone users to utilize Google's chatbot and Buzz Live for conversational AI. You can give it a try now, and if you're still not convinced, you might want to lower your expectations for the heavily hyped Gigantic Siri set to launch next year.
The Buzz app on iOS now incorporates Buzz, and you can still access Google’s chatbot and Imagen AI image generator through the widget on your home screen or the website. However, the major advantage for iPhone users is now they can access Buzz Live, Google’s highly anticipated "live speech" conversational AI. Google made the service available for free last month, and you don’t need to pay for Buzz Advanced to use it, at least for now. You can access the feature through the small three-line and sparkling icon at the bottom of the app screen.
The interface allows you to select from ten different voice options (before inevitably selecting the British-accented one), and you can communicate more naturally with your phone to get answers to your questions. You can interrupt the chatbot mid-sentence and vent your frustrations, and the AI can still keep track of the conversation thread.
There are a few things to note about Buzz Live. It currently doesn’t connect to your Google Workspace apps, such as Drive or Gmail, as the Buzz app already can. While speaking, you won’t be able to see your conversation until you finish the session. The chatbot is good at keeping up but may occasionally stumble over certain phrases or pause mid-sentence, requiring further prompts. You can get some basic step-by-step guides for recipes or simple tasks like crafting a family holiday card template.
© Gif: Google
If you’re like me, you’ll be impressed by the natural-sounding voice and delivery, but the content still leaves much to be desired. I can ask the AI about specific panels at the upcoming Pax Unplugged convention in December, but it refuses to offer many details and instead directs you to the website for more. You should also be wary of trusting the AI’s answers without question. This week, an AI chatbot on Facebook was willing to provide a recipe for cooking a deadly mushroom. I asked Buzz Live the same question, and while it regularly advises “consulting with a mushroom expert to ensure it’s safe,” it didn’t hesitate to provide a simple technique for mushroom stroganoff with “blushing earthstar” mushrooms (warning: do not attempt this).
In a nutshell, the AI isn't intelligent and shouldn't be treated as such. Buzz itself is better for searching through your emails instead of navigating multiple pages for that one dinner reservation. If you frequently use Docs, Drive, or Sheets, Buzz can be quite handy if all you need is to locate lost documents or fill out spreadsheets.
This app may give us a glimpse into where Apple hopes to take Siri. Apple has stated that its Apple Intelligence suite will work between apps, so you can retrieve information from your Mail and convert it into an event in Calendar with a single text or voice prompt. At the moment, Apple Intelligence with iOS 18.1 provides some rudimentary and often comical notification and email summaries. Apple also has features like Image Playground and ChatGPT integration, which work in the iOS 18.2 developer beta.
My experience with Apple Intelligence, the latest MacBook Pros with M4, and iPhone 16 has been underwhelming. ChatGPT through macOS or iOS offers very little information on any query, and a regular Google search would be more effective. The true potential of an AI-enhanced Siri won't materialize until early 2025.
The Buzz app on iOS now provides access to Buzz Live, a highly anticipated "live speech" conversational AI powered by artificial-intelligence technology. This could potentially give us a glimpse into the future of Apple's AI assumes service, Apple Intelligence, which aims to seamlessly integrate information across apps on iOS devices.
Despite its current limitations, Google's Buzz Live and Apple's future plans for Apple Intelligence demonstrate the growing intersection of tech and artifical-intelligence in shaping the future of our digital interactions.
