Google Gemini’s Android assistant can now answer questions about YouTube videos and PDFs

Over the past year, Google has been building up its AI efforts with new tech for consumers and businesses. So it comes as no surprise that the brand is laser focused on AI at Google I/O 2024, bolstering its current portfolio of tools, while also announcing new ones. The new and improved Google Gemini sits at the core of most of these products, offering powerful AI enhancements, so it comes as no surprise that some powerful new features are landing on mobile, with Google Assistant getting updated with some new tricks up its sleeve.

While there’s always tons of great information out there, it can be a little overwhelming at times, which is why AI tools are really important, in order to make the most of the time that we have. Going forward, Gemini Advanced users will now be able to get clear answers from videos and PDFs by asking specific questions, which will then be pulled from the corresponding content. Best of all, this is all going to take place on supported mobile devices, which brings a lot of power to your smartphone or tablet while you’re on the go.

Complex tools are coming to mobile to simplify your experience

Now, Google has seen some big success on mobile by implementing AI in clever ways. Perhaps the most impactful to this point has been Circle to Search, which lets users seamlessly interact with things that are on the screen, and get instant search results by having users circle subjects that they are interested in. By removing as many barriers as possible, Google has finally got it right, making AI tools fun and simple to use. Making Gemini context aware is how the brand takes things to another level, and it’s doing it again by allowing it to interact with videos so that users can get the answer they need, when they need it.

You can see this interaction taking place in the video above, with Dave Burke, who is the VP of Engineering for Android, providing a demo of this new feature, which brings up Gemini and a new “Ask this video” chip, which, when tapped, will let users ask specific questions about that video. What’s impressive about this is that it pulls up the necessary information in just a matter of seconds, and since it’s utilizing YouTube captions, this kind of search can be done on millions of videos on the platform. In the same demo, the tool is also applied to a PDF, extracting the necessary information, making it easier to extract the information that’s really necessary for the user.

For the most part, these are some very impressive tools that will no doubt save people a lot of time. Again, it will only be available to those using Gemini Advanced, which does have a monthly fee. Google states that this update will be rolling out over the next few months, so if you don’t see it ASAP, be patient, as it’s coming. Of course, there is so much more happening during I/O 2024, so follow along as we cover all the juicy details coming from the event in Mountain View.