Alphabet Inc.’s consumer team will give TV sets running its Google TV operating system an AI upgrade by including Gemini to its Google Assistant voice-control system. The Gemini upgrade will be rolled out later this year, and will allow users to hold back-and-forth conversations with third-party TVs without the need to use the “Hey Google” trigger phrase for each command.
Google showed this in a demo for reporters at the ongoing CES technology conference. The tech giant also showcased the ability to more naturally call up content, such as asking for videos from a recent trip that were saved to a user’s Google Photos account.
With this update, this is the first time that Google is bringing Gemini to third-party TV sets running its OS, such as those from Sony Group Corp., Hisense Home Appliances Group Co. and TCL Technology Group Corp., after debuting some of that functionality on its first-party streaming box last year. The firm’s Google TV platform competes with other major television operating systems, including those from Samsung Electronics Co., Amazon.com Inc. and Roku Inc.
Google also gave an early preview of a new “always-on” mode for a slate of TVs that use sensors to determine if a user is approaching and show them information they may find useful. The system, for instance, could show someone customized news, weather forecasts and other items when they are in the vicinity of their TV. TCL in late 2025 will be the first manufacturer to offer this always-on mode, followed by Hisense in 2026.
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