We’ve all been there: aimlessly searching through Netflix or Hulu for something, anything, to watch. Instead, we spend as much time sifting through titles as it would take to just pick and finish an episode.
But fear not: AI is here to save us. Hooray!
My AI fatigue and unyielding skepticism aside, I’m admittedly pretty thrilled about a new Gemini feature for Google TV, which, in part, can help you figure out what the heck to watch. Announced as part of the Android 16 launch on Tuesday, Gemini can be summoned on your TV to offer a breakdown of the latest NBA game or a summary of the top headlines, for example. You can ask Gemini to explain the solar system to a third grader, and then be served a batch of relevant YouTube videos.
But to me, what’s most exciting is the potential for Gemini to solve our most pressing first-world problem: what to binge next. Gemini will be available on Google TV, the company’s smart TV software, later this year.
Google showed CNET an early demo of the feature at its headquarters in Mountain View, California. You can ask Gemini for film and TV show recs based on what you already like, or for an age-appropriate action movie for your kids. You can even pose a hot take like, “Which Mission Impossible movie is the best one?” (Gemini, being ever so diplomatic, will likely hedge that response as it did in our demo, with, “Ultimately, it’s really a matter of personal preference,” after offering up some suggestions.)
Google’s new feature arrives on the heels of a similar AI-powered search capability on Netflix, which is currently available in beta on iOS. You can use more conversational language to find title recommendations, by saying something like, “I want something scary, but not too scary, and also maybe a little bit funny, but not like haha funny,” Netflix Chief Technology Officer Elizabeth Stone suggested during a press preview event. The streamer teamed up with OpenAI to develop the feature. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)
It’s not surprising that companies like Google and Netflix are tapping AI to help us find the right entertainment, as it seems to be the tech industry’s answer to just about everything these days. Streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney Plus and Hulu already lean on AI-based algorithms to analyze our viewing habits and serve up recs, so these latest conversational search capabilities are merely the inevitable next step.
Watch this: Preview: We Got Early Access to New Android 16 Features
Just because it’s new and shiny doesn’t mean it’ll stick, though. In 2023, Tubi launched an AI-powered search tool powered by ChatGPT called Rabbit AI to help viewers find what to watch. But it ended up discontinuing the feature, presumably because it didn’t quite land with users. After all, it’s hard for most of us to keep track of – or care about – the endless barrage of AI capabilities that just keep coming.
Google’s strategy to add Gemini everywhere, from your phone to your car to your smartwatch and TV, appears to be part of an effort to make the AI assistant your constant companion, whether it’s helping you figure out what to say in a text or choosing your next movie marathon. You know, the way a human friend would. It’s totally not creepy if you don’t dwell on it.
After all, what better way to silence your crippling anxiety over the rise of AI than settling in with a nice, distracting movie or TV show – with the help of AI.
