Google's live demo shows why everyone is still frustrated with voice commands
Google on Tuesday rolled out its new Pixel smartphone - and one of its big selling points is that it comes with "Google Assistant" built in. Assistant is Google's answer to Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortona.
But during the live demo by product manager Brian Rakowski, the Assistant made one of those mistakes that drives everyone crazy.
He was sending a text to his wife, Lisa, via voice command and he wanted it to say, "Want to go see the Lumineers in Berkeley on Friday"
But Assistant made a typo, saying "Went to go see the Lumineers on Berkeley on Friday." That typo changed the whole meaning of the text. It basically said he went to see a concert without her.
Now, to be fair, Google Assistant did ask him to check the text and approve it before he sent it. And it seems that Lisa didn't notice the mistake. She seemed to understand it was an invitation and she also suggested a place for dinner. The Assistent was able to understand her reply and able to link to OpenTable so Rakowski could make a reservation.
But, had this been a real life thing, that mistake might not have turned out so well. The wife might have replied: "So that's where you were on Friday night? You said you were working late. And you tell me in a text?!" And you can imagine how the rest of the conversation might go ...