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Would you feel more inclined to use Google’s Gemini if you could give it a personality you vibe with? The Information reports that the search giant is working on a concept where the Gemini chatbot can be modeled in the style of a well-known celebrity or tuned otherwise to respond more affably and person-like.
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According to one of two people interviewed for the report, Google has been internally discussing launching personalized chatbots as soon as later this year. It’s part of a more significant effort to make AI features palatable.
Google’s Gemini AI will power up the chatbot. The personalities will likely come from YouTube, Google’s other big money-maker. There are no specifics on who has been approached for the project, but Google has discussed integrating popular creators into the fold. Imagine a favorite creator as your chatbot assistant. Hopefully, the mention of “partnering” means that Google will be vetting creators before further platforming them as chatbots.
Google has stationed roughly ten Google Labs employees on the project full-time. They are all led by Ryan Germick, a longtime designer for the company and a former steward of Google Doodles. The personified chatbot will likely be a Labs feature before it’s pushed live.
Google declined to provide a statement to the outlet, though it did confirm that Google Labs is where the company experiments “with future AI product ideas.”
It’s hard not to imagine that Google would work to personify its chatbot, especially after the somewhat lukewarm reception to its launch. Character.AI and Meta offer similar personality-forward chatbots with their respective products. They’re not exactly reeling in the users, but the so-called personalities provide an approachable sheen to the technology that consumers feel dubious about.