Google has introduced a new multimodal AI agent called Project Astra, capable of answering user queries in real-time through text, audio, or video inputs. Demonstrated in a recent video by Google, the AI assistant interacts with users and responds instantly, mirroring the functionality showcased by OpenAI with its GPT-4o model.
Project Astra exhibits impressive capabilities, such as identifying objects in a room, recognising and explaining parts of code, determining location by looking outside a window, finding the user’s glasses and generating creative names for a dog.
Watch a short demonstration video of Project Astra here:
Project Astra is a prototype from @GoogleDeepMind exploring how a universal AI agent can be truly helpful in everyday life. Watch our prototype in action in two parts, each captured in a single take, in real time ↓ #GoogleIO pic.twitter.com/uMEjIJpsjO
— Google (@Google) May 14, 2024
The demo also highlighted the assistant’s use via smartphones and smart glasses, hinting at a significant Gemini-powered update to Google Lens in the future.
The AI’s efficiency comes from its ability to process information swiftly by encoding video frames and combining video and speech inputs into a cohesive timeline of events. This information is cached for easy recall. Additionally, Google has enhanced the assistant’s voice, making it sound more natural, and provided options for users to switch between different voices.
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Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis emphasised the importance of an autonomous AI agent that understands and responds to the complex, dynamic world similarly to humans.
“To be truly useful, an agent needs to understand and respond to the complex and dynamic world just like people do — and take in and remember what it sees and hears to understand context and take action. It also needs to be proactive, teachable, and personal, so users can talk to it naturally and without lag or delay.”
The capabilities of Project Astra are set to be integrated into various Google products, including the Gemini app through the Gemini Live interface, later this year.
The launch of Project Astra comes in the heels of OpenAI launching GPT-4o. Reacting to its launch, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the company’s “demo made me cringe.”
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