Google’s Ambitious Plan to ‘Supercharge’ Assistant with Generative AI

The memo highlights the remarkable potential of generative AI to positively impact people’s lives, and the company is eager to explore the possibilities of creating a supercharged Assistant using the latest LLM technology. They have already initiated efforts in this direction, with a primary focus on implementing the technology for mobile devices.

It’s intriguing to witness how generative AI will integrate into AI assistants like Google Assistant. While Alexa and Siri have yet to adopt this technology, Google appears to be leading the way in this domain. However, it is probable that both Apple and Amazon are also actively experimenting with similar advancements to stay competitive in the field. The future holds exciting developments as these tech giants continue to push the boundaries of AI capabilities.

Subject: Enhancing the Assistant Vision and Team Reorganization

Dear team,

Over the past seven years, we’ve achieved great success with Assistant, providing exceptional experiences to millions of users each month. We’ve also recognized the immense potential of generative AI to revolutionize lives, presenting a tremendous opportunity to develop a supercharged Assistant using the latest LLM technology. A dedicated portion of our team has already begun this groundbreaking work, starting with mobile devices.

To ensure we execute both these goals swiftly and effectively, we are implementing some organizational changes:

The Services and Surfaces teams will merge under the leadership of Unni and Bryant.

The Mobile team will operate independently under the guidance of Minni and Zaheed.

The NLP team’s reins will be in the capable hands of Xiaonan and Lisa. We extend sincere gratitude to Michelle for her outstanding stewardship of the NLP team during the last four months. Michelle will now head infrastructure at full capacity.

The Speech team will continue to support Assistant and other products, now reporting to Sissie, led by Françoise.

As we adapt to these changes, we are also making difficult decisions to eliminate a small number of roles within the team. Rest assured that we have communicated with these colleagues and will offer dedicated support to aid them during this transition. In compliance with local requirements, everyone affected will have a minimum of 60 days for internal searches. We understand the challenges this presents and request your support and empathy towards the affected teammates.

Duke and I will hold a town hall tomorrow to provide further details on the organizational changes and address any questions you may have. Additionally, for those in Zurich, we will conduct an EMEA-friendly session on Wednesday to ensure everyone is well-informed. Some teams will also arrange town halls next week, and you will receive calendar invitations for those events.

We reaffirm our strong commitment to Assistant, and our optimism for the bright future that lies ahead.

Thank you,

Peeyush and Duke