Google ‘Pixie’ could be the name of a Pixel-exclusive AI assistant

For years now, Google Assistant has been one of the best AI assistants out there. It’s way more powerful than Siri, less focused on pushing you to buy things than Alexa, and light years ahead of Bixby. However, there are things Assistant doesn’t do as well as it could, and it is limited by the fact that almost all of its features won’t work if not connected to the internet.

According to a new report from The Information, though, this could change quite soon. According to the report, Google is working on a new AI assistant called “Pixie.” Allegedly, Pixie would be a Pixel-exclusive assistant with all of the power of Google Assistant but with new tricks that Assistant can’t perform.

Pixie — which could be an internal codename and not the official product name — would incorporate the power of Gemini Nano. We have already seen what Gemini can do on Pixels, such as summarize recordings and create pre-canned replies to messages. Both features work on-device, meaning you do not need a data connection. According to the new report, this is only the beginning, and Pixie could present a whole suite of new tools using on-device AI.

Details are limited, but the report says Pixie could pull information from apps on a user’s phone, such as Maps or Gmail. This would allow Pixie to be far more personalized than Assistant.

Of course, being exclusive to Pixels would push consumers to adopt a Pixel over a competitor brand. But being an on-device service would mean Google’s Tensor processor would need to do all the work. Therefore, it is unclear if Pixie would come to the Pixel phones currently available or only come to future Pixels with the proper hardware.

Speaking of which, The Information report suggests we could see Pixie debut with the Pixel 9 series, which we expect to land in the fall of 2024.