Gemini for Google Home now uses cameras to trigger smart automations based on what they see

Gemini for Google Home can now use your cameras to trigger automations

Google Home is rolling out a new Gemini-powered automation feature that can trigger smart home routines based on what your security cameras can see. This is one of several updates announced yesterday for Gemini for Home, including enhanced voice command support and general stability improvements, following its early access launch in October. "We are introducing a brand-new starter that lets you design automations based on visual insights," Google said in its announcement. "Because your cameras can now actually understand what they see, your smart home can automatically react to almost anything happening around your home." The feature is currently supported for Nest cameras and select third-party cameras with "Gemini Built-In," and it's only available in English for US users enrolled in the Google Home Public Preview program for now. You'll also need to enable AI descriptions for your cameras via "Gemini for Home camera features," and be subscribed to the Google Home Premium Advanced plan ($20 per month or $200 per year). To set up the feature, Google says you can simply describe the exact event you want to trigger an automation for using natural language, and then select which cameras in or outside of your home should look for it. Google recommends you describe objects that are clearly visible to your cameras, and says the camera "needs a brief moment to process what it sees," and so this shouldn't be used for "instant alerts, time-sensitive situations, or security and safety purposes." For example, you can ask Gemini for Home to look for "raccoons near the trash bins" to then trigger a routine that turns on security lighting to scare them off, or tell it to notify you when it detects that mail has been delivered. You can also ask it to look for "red BMW enters driveway" or for specific people (provided you have the Friendly Faces feature enabled), and then activate routines inside your home, like opening smart blinds or controlling your heating system. Google also announced that Gemini for Home users can now ask the voice assistant to trigger multiple actions in a single verbal command, such as telling it to lower the blinds, dim the lights, set a 20 minute timer, and start your favorite podcast. Gemini should also now respond more quickly to voice commands, and provide more "consistent and predictable" responses to natural language commands, such as asking it to make your room lighting "a little warmer."

Gemini gives Google Home cameras smarter automation powers

Your Google Home experience is about to get a lot smarter. With the latest round of Google Home improvements, Google is rolling out new Gemini-powered automation features that let your smart home react to what your cameras actually see. With compatible cameras, Gemini can understand real-world events and use them as starter actions to trigger automations. Unlock Personalized Content & Exclusive Features For Free * Engage in discussions in Threads * Follow and Like top authors, topics, and trends * Browse with fewer ads across the site * Personalize your profile to showcase your activity * Get a content feed tailored to your interests By creating an account, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive our newsletters; you can unsubscribe any time. Keep Reading Log In Forgot your password? Create an account Please provide your email address to finish creating your account. Create An Account *Required: 8 chars, 1 capital letter, 1 number Create An Account Continue withGoogle Continue withOpenPass or Continue withEmail Continue By creating an account, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive our newsletters; you can unsubscribe any time. The feature currently works with Nest cameras and select third-party cameras. Even better, you can use Gemini directly inside the Google Home app to create these automations. Just describe what you want in natural language, and AI will build the automation for you. For now, the smarter camera-based automation feature is only available in English for US users enrolled in the Google Home Public Preview program. You'll also need a Google Home Premium Advanced subscription to access it. More latency and speed improvements Google is further improving how Gemini understands and executes smart home commands. You can now give it more complex, multi-step instructions, and it will handle them automatically. Gemini is getting better at understanding casual, natural language as well. For example, you can turn off the lights by simply saying, "set brightness to 0." The company says it has further reduced latency, especially for everyday commands, making the overall experience of using Gemini feel faster and more responsive. Google highlighted several additional reliability and performance improvements coming to the Google Home platform: As part of our deep, ongoing investments in speed and latency, we continue to optimize the platform experience while in early access. * Improved response reliability: We've made a number of model updates to make your experience faster and more reliable. And, we've reduced instances where Gemini mistakenly claims it cannot perform a supported task, such as playing music or controlling lights. * Additional optimizations for alarms and timers: Building on recent latency improvements, we've further optimized stop and snooze commands for speed, making daily time-tracking and wake-up alerts even more responsive. Gemini is also better at keeping track of active running timers during conversations and understanding which timer or alarm you're referring to when requesting to change or cancel it. * More complete answers: Gemini provides more complete responses to questions about general knowledge, weather, and sports, so you get all the key information up front. Google is rolling out a few smaller quality-of-life improvements, too. You can now say "stop" to end a Gemini response without interrupting music playing in the background. The company has also fixed a bug that prevented Apple Music playback on Gemini-powered speakers. You can find Google's full list of changes to Gemini for Home here.