TLDR
- Alphabet rises as Google unveils Gemini AI-powered smart home devices.
- Google swaps Assistant for Gemini in smart homes, stock ticks up.
- Alphabet gains after Google debuts AI-driven Nest and Home revamp.
- Google launches Gemini AI smart devices, boosting Alphabet shares.
- AI revamp lifts Alphabet as Google rebrands Nest with Gemini power.
Alphabet Inc. shares climbed on Wednesday following a major AI-driven product revamp by Google. The stock closed higher by 0.82% at $245.54 before dipping slightly by 0.06% in after-hours trading.
The rise followed Google’s announcement of new AI-powered smart home products and a strategic platform shift.
Google Showcases New Devices with Gemini AI Integration
Google launched a new generation of Google Home and Nest smart devices, integrated with its AI assistant, Gemini. The refreshed product range includes updated Nest Indoor and Outdoor Cams, as well as a new Nest Video Doorbell. These devices feature enhanced 2K resolution, improved night vision, and a broader field of view.
The company aims to push innovation through flagship devices while keeping Gemini accessible across a range of third-party products. Google emphasized platform flexibility, drawing parallels to its Android strategy where multiple manufacturers build on a shared foundation. Alongside its own devices, Google partnered with Walmart to release affordable AI-enabled smart cameras under the “onn” brand.
Google intends to extend Gemini to existing devices that meet hardware requirements. The goal is to avoid forcing users into costly upgrades by enabling AI features on over 800 million current devices. These upgrades will roll out through the Google Home Cloud-to-Cloud APIs and the universal Matter smart home protocol.
Gemini AI Replaces Google Assistant in the Smart Home
The shift to Gemini marks the end of Google Assistant in the home ecosystem. Gemini for Home responds to natural language, enables conversational interactions, and improves voice accuracy. It can handle complex requests, like playing media based on vague prompts or summarizing camera footage.
Users will notice the same “Hey Google” activation but with a smarter, more responsive assistant. Gemini can create custom bedtime stories, answer detailed questions, and even recognize people in video feeds. It also provides advanced notification summaries and can intelligently report household events.
To support these features, Google released a development toolkit for partners. This includes an embedded SDK, camera design references, and chip recommendations to ensure consistent performance. Walmart is the first to implement this, showcasing Google’s intent to scale Gemini across diverse hardware ecosystems.
Google Rebrands Smart Home Plans with New Subscription Tiers
Google renamed its subscription service from Nest Aware to Google Home Premium. The pricing remains the same, starting at $10 per month for the Standard plan and $20 for the Advanced plan. These plans are also bundled with higher-tier AI subscriptions, such as Google AI Pro and Ultra.
The new subscriptions offer an extended video history, AI alerts, and enhanced event detection. Unlike competitors, Google still provides free features such as 6 hours of 10-second video clips. This strategy may help attract users who seek core features without a subscription.
