Google Brings Gemini AI to Google TV: A New Era of Smart Entertainment

Gemini Is Coming to Google TV to Help You Find Your Next Binge

We've all been there: aimlessly searching through Netflix or Hulu for something, anything, to watch. Instead, we spend as much time sifting through titles as it would take to just pick and finish an episode. But fear not: AI is here to save us. Hooray! My AI fatigue and unyielding skepticism aside, I'm admittedly pretty thrilled about a new Gemini feature for Google TV, which, in part, can help you figure out what the heck to watch. Announced as part of the Android 16 launch on Tuesday, Gemini can be summoned on your TV to offer a breakdown of the latest NBA game or a summary of the top headlines, for example. You can ask Gemini to explain the solar system to a third grader, and then be served a batch of relevant YouTube videos. But to me, what's most exciting is the potential for Gemini to solve our most pressing first-world problem: what to binge next. Gemini will be available on Google TV, the company's smart TV software, later this year. Google showed CNET an early demo of the feature at its headquarters in Mountain View, California. You can ask Gemini for film and TV show recs based on what you already like, or for an age-appropriate action movie for your kids. You can even pose a hot take like, "Which Mission Impossible movie is the best one?" (Gemini, being ever so diplomatic, will likely hedge that response as it did in our demo, with, "Ultimately, it's really a matter of personal preference," after offering up some suggestions.) Google's new feature arrives on the heels of a similar AI-powered search capability on Netflix, which is currently available in beta on iOS. You can use more conversational language to find title recommendations, by saying something like, "I want something scary, but not too scary, and also maybe a little bit funny, but not like haha funny," Netflix Chief Technology Officer Elizabeth Stone suggested during a press preview event. The streamer teamed up with OpenAI to develop the feature. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.) It's not surprising that companies like Google and Netflix are tapping AI to help us find the right entertainment, as it seems to be the tech industry's answer to just about everything these days. Streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney Plus and Hulu already lean on AI-based algorithms to analyze our viewing habits and serve up recs, so these latest conversational search capabilities are merely the inevitable next step. Just because it's new and shiny doesn't mean it'll stick, though. In 2023, Tubi launched an AI-powered search tool powered by ChatGPT called Rabbit AI to help viewers find what to watch. But it ended up discontinuing the feature, presumably because it didn't quite land with users. After all, it's hard for most of us to keep track of - or care about - the endless barrage of AI capabilities that just keep coming. Google's strategy to add Gemini everywhere, from your phone to your car to your smartwatch and TV, appears to be part of an effort to make the AI assistant your constant companion, whether it's helping you figure out what to say in a text or choosing your next movie marathon. You know, the way a human friend would. It's totally not creepy if you don't dwell on it. After all, what better way to silence your crippling anxiety over the rise of AI than settling in with a nice, distracting movie or TV show - with the help of AI.

Gemini is coming to Google TV later this year, but you'll have to wait a bit longer for Google TV Streamer to get the AI

The Google TV Streamer device won't receive the same treatment however, and the future of its Gemini support is unclear Google announced that it's integrating its AI assistant, Google Gemini, with Google TV devices - starting with TCL TVs later this year. The expansion was announced at its Android Show yesterday along with a host of other new features. In addition to teasing a new look of Android 16, Google revealed that Gemini's smarts will be coming to devices with Google TV, cars with built-in Google and Android Auto, and its line of WearOS smartwatches. At the moment Google is keeping the exact roll-out date under-wraps, but the company has stated that Gemini support for Google TV will be rolled out to TCL TVs first, with other devices to follow. When Gemini makes its Google TV debut, it will replace the previous Google Assistant tool but will continue to offer content recommendations based on your voice commands. According to Google's blog post you can use prompts such as 'show me action movies that are age-appropriate for kids'. Gemini's capabilities will reach beyond entertainment. You'll also have the freedom to ask Gemini on your Google TV non-recommendation based questions. For example, Google says that Gemini will be able to 'help your kids explore their endless questions about the solar system by answering questions and pulling up the perfect YouTube video to learn more'. However, there have been some questions about when the Google TV Streamer will receive the same treatment. To the surprise of many, it turns out that the Google TV Streamer won't be the launch device for Gemini, nor has Google given word on its plans to bring the AI tool to its own devices. So as it stands, it's a bit of a waiting game, but what do know is that Google TV devices will get their long-awaited support for Gemini before the end of the year. Owners of some of the best smart TVs with Google TV have been waiting for further announcements since the company announced the next generation of Google TV with Gemini at CES 2025. At the same time, the company also unveiled its new 'Ambient Mode', which has been enhanced by the introduction of its new proximity sensors to adjust the display automatically. But the future of Gemini for Google TV Streamer is still on our minds, and while we wait for further announcements from Google we'll have our eyes peeled for any updates that might crop up elsewhere.

Gemini is coming to Google TV and I think it'll finally make microphone remotes useful | Stuff

Later this year, you'll be able to talk to Gemini on devices with Google TV - that means asking for content with natural language Shoving AI into everything (wanted or not) is one of the biggest tech trends this year. All the latest smartphones have some form of AI features... just like most other devices. I'm not the biggest fan of this - especially when there's not an obvious use case. While showing off Android 16, Google announced a bunch of new Gemini AI features. The best of these is the fact that Google Gemini is coming to devices with Google TV later this year. Not only am I excited for this feature, but I actually think it'll finally make remotes with microphones useful. For years it's felt like the microphone button in TV remotes existed purely for a voice assistant that... doesn't do much. While you're supposed to ask them for content, they never really seem to understood you. But now that Google finally shoving its Gemini AI into Google TV, that button might actually have something useful to do. With Gemini, interacting with your TV will feel less like screaming into the void. As Google explains, you'll be able to use natural language for requests or to find content. For example, you won't need to know a show's name. Rather, you could ask for it with a description or the genre. Instead of scrolling endlessly through carousel after carousel of thumbnails, I could say "find a documentary about black holes" and get a proper suggestion. Of course, I remain suspiciously optimistic. We've heard the hype before, only to be let down by AI assistants that promise the world and deliver mildly warmed-over search results. But if Gemini on Google TV can truly understand context and handle the chaos of TV requests, then colour me intrigued. Gemini will start appearing on TCL Google TV devices later this year, with wider rollout to follow. Unfortunately, Google's flagship TV Streamer won't be getting it, which seems like a big miss. No specific dates for the wider rollout have been set yet, but we'll bring you the latest when it arrives.