Google is reshuffling its Assistant team and laying off some employees as it prioritises LLM technology.
Google is planning to use the latest advancements in generative artificial intelligence to enhance Assistant, the default voice assistant tool on most Android phones. The company has internally announced a major reorganisation of the Assistant unit, which will include a small number of layoffs and a focus on large language model technology.
LLM technology can respond to text-based queries with intelligent and creative answers and can convert text to images. Google sees a huge opportunity to explore what a “supercharged” Assistant, powered by LLM technology, would look like, according to an email sent by Peeyush Ranjan, Google’s vice president of engineering at Assistant, to employees on Monday.
“As a team, we need to focus on delivering high quality, critical product experiences for our users,” Ranjan wrote in the email. “We’ve also seen the profound potential of generative AI to transform people’s lives.”
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Ranjan added that the Assistant team has already started working on the LLM efforts. Employees who are being laid off will be given 60 days to search for other jobs within Google.
The reorganisation also involves changes to the company’s “Speech” team, which oversees voice commands. Francoise Beaufays, who had been the head of Speech, is moving to work under Sissie Hsiao, who oversees Bard and Assistant.
Google Assistant is used in Google’s mobile and home devices, including its Pixel smartphone and in Nest smart speakers and devices. It’s also used in smart watches, smart displays, TVs and in vehicles through the Android Auto platform.
The rapid developments in generative AI are pushing Google to embed the technology in as many products as possible. In March, Hsiao announced changes to the organisation, underscoring a prioritising of Bard. Ranjan, who had been vice president of commerce, stepped in as engineering lead for the unit and oversees more than 1,700 full-time employees.
While Google Assistant has seen improvements in comprehending voice commands over its seven-year existence, it’s still largely robotic and depends on pre-written responses to supported commands. Plugging generative AI into the tool can help it interact more naturally.
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First published on: 02-08-2023 at 13:27 IST