GOOGLE has unveiled an update that allows users to communicate with an AI assistant while their phones are locked.
The company released its latest large language model, Google Gemini, in December. Gemini powers Google‘s chatbot, formerly named Bard, and is slowly being integrated into other services.
The tool is available as a mobile app on both Android and iOS, but it can also replace Google Assistant on Android devices.
Thanks to a new update, users can take advantage of the powerful virtual assistant even when their phones are locked.
Previously, Gemini could only provide low-level services on the lock screen, like pausing music and setting alarms. Users would be prompted to unlock their phones to ask more complex questions.
Following the latest update, you can ask the device “general questions” like those about the weather. An answer will be displayed on the lock screen and read out loud.
To activate Gemini for your lock screen, open the app and tap your profile picture to access the Settings menu.
Under “Gemini on lock screen,” toggle “Responses on lock screen” on or off.
Moving forward, simply tap the display or say “Hey Google” to wake the virtual assistant.
The company says users can also recruit Gemini’s help with “quick voice actions powered by Google Assistant” when their phones are locked.
These include the control of alarms, timers, and music, in addition to some phone functions like the flashlight and volume.
Tap “Google Assistant features in Gemini” in the Settings menu, followed by “Google Assistant on lock screen,” to toggle “Responses on lock screen” on or off.
While many Google fans will cheer on the latest update, it does nothing to quell the concerns of data privacy experts.
Gemini landed in hot water last week, following the revelation that it might be reading users’ files without their consent.
Kevin Bankston was the first to raise the alarm. Bankston, an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law, claimed Gemini had summarized a private document, seemingly without permission.
“Just pulled up my tax return in Google Docs – and unbidden, Gemini summarized it,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“So…Gemini is automatically ingesting even the private docs I open in Google Docs? WTF, guys. I didn’t ask for this.”
Bankston’s viral post sparked a discussion about data privacy in the age of artificial intelligence.
The professor, who specializes in AI law, claimed the tool was acting beyond its authorized limits.
“I found the setting that’s supposed to keep Gemini out of my docs…and it was already turned off!” he proclaimed in a subsequent post.
“Yet Gemini is absolutely giving me document summaries. A setting that doesn’t work is even worse than no setting.”
You may have heard of Google's Gemini AI tool - so what exactly is it?
Google’s Gemini AI launched in December 2023 and is available online, billed as a way to “supercharge your creativity and productivity”.
Gemini is a multimodal model that learns from a variety of data types including images, text, and audio.
When a user enters a prompt into Gemini, it generates a response using information it already knows or pulls from other sources (often Google services).
While training on datasets, it identifies patterns that help it mimic a human response. As it is continuously learning, Gemini also learns from your prompts, responses, and feedback.
Google has admitted that “Gemini will make mistakes and might even say something offensive”.
The program occasionally cites its sources. If it quotes at length from a webpage, for instance, it makes reference to that page. Sometimes, it generates a URL that users can click.
Gemini has usage limits to reduce traffic, meaning it may cap the number of prompts and conversations a user can have within a specific timeframe.
This number depends on factors like how long and complex a user’s prompts are and the length of the conversation with Gemini. Google will alert you when you are close to hitting the limit for a given period.
Google issued a response amid the mounting backlash.
“Our generative AI features are designed to give users choice and keep them in control of their data,” the company wrote in a statement to media outlets.
“Using Gemini in Google Workspace requires a user to proactively enable it, and when they do their content is used in a privacy-preserving manner to generate useful responses to their prompts, but is not otherwise stored without permission.”
The Gemini mobile app became available in the United Kingdom just last month.
Google has also equipped its latest flagship phones with AI.
The Pixel 8a, Pixel 8, and Pixel 8 Pro all support Gemini Nano, a simpler model that can run even without internet connection.
