Having an AI assistant at your beck and call while you drive was the sort of future scenario that many didn’t think was ever possible.
But somehow, someway, Google turned that fantasy into a reality after launching Gemini inside its Android Auto smart driving companion app as a replacement for Google Assistant. Then, in April of this year, Gemini became a native tool for Google built-in-enabled vehicles for car manufacturers such as Acura, General Motors, Ford and several others. One of our very own writers tested Google's previous Gemini update for Android Auto and was impressed by its capabilities.
Now another update has come to Gemini for cars that makes it far more personable than it ever was.
Here’s everything you need to know about that major upgrade for Gemini’s usage within cars and how it may just make your daily drives far more fruitful.
More tailored answers are now available within Gemini inside your car
Google has made Gemini globally available on Android Auto and cars with Google built-in. Alongside that wide degree of availability, Personal Intelligence has now become a part of Gemini to make its AI capabilities a whole lot stronger.
After permitting it, Personal Intelligence will be able to retrieve and reference any details you may have saved in your Google Workspace (Gmail and Calendar included), Photos, Maps, YouTube and Search. So, for instance, Personal Intelligence will bring up the information featured in one of your emails, photos or a landmark you saved in Google Maps to answer a question you may have about something in particular. Now you’ll be able to chat more naturally with Gemini during your drives without having to give context to what you’re inquiring about and ask it to go looking for more info.
Some of the more complex requests you can bring to Gemini now that it’s being boosted by Personal Intelligence include asking for your flight gate & takeoff time (Gemini can look up those details in your email), telling it to bring you to your doctor’s appointment (Gemini will already know where you’re going based on the connected info it has access to), making it bring up a specific location (Gemini can reference the place you just mentioned if it can be found in a photo you recently took) and more. Mentioning past conversations you had with Gemini can also be done as you ask it to take you to, say, a coffee shop you chatted about the day before.
It’s worth noting that you can turn off Gemini’s Personal Intelligence connection to your apps at any time. Plus, any cars that have Google built-in enabled will only share personal responses with you whenever you’re in the car with your phone connected. And even if you choose not to enable Gemini’s Personal Intelligence features, you’ll still be able to use your GPS, listen to music, make phone calls and ask questions (just without tailored answers).
The takeaway
Any digital tool that doesn’t require drivers to take their hands off the wheel to use it is perfectly fine by me. I’m a safety-first kind of driver, so this Personal Intelligence-powered update for Gemini sounds right up my alley. Being able to have a conversation with it about a preferred dive bar I saved in my Google Maps and then asking it to bring me there without having to actually mention it again sounds pretty amazing.
I don’t have an Android Auto or Google built-in enable vehicle, so I can’t mess around with the new and improved Gemini inside a car just yet. But hopefully I’ll get the chance to take it for a spin in the near future.
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More from Tom’s Guide
- Gemini in the car is long-overdue — and I can't wait to try it in Android Auto soon
- Android Auto is about to change the way you drive: 3D Google Maps, redesigned interface, video support, Gemini and more
- I tested Google's new Gemini update for Android Auto and it finally fixes everything that made the old Google Assistant so frustrating to use while driving
