Google and Amazon push AI assistants for smart homes, but issues remain

In short: Google and Amazon are adding more AI to Gemini and Alexa Plus to simplify smart home setup, but both still face important limits.

What's going on

Google and Amazon say their newer AI assistants can make smart homes easier to set up and control. The idea is that you can describe what you want in normal language, instead of tapping through lots of menus in an app. It is like telling a helpful roommate what to do, rather than programming a remote control.

Google is rolling out Gemini across more of its products, including Android phones. In the Gemini app, a Google Home extension lets people control many connected devices by voice or text, like lights, outlets, thermostats (your heating and cooling controls), TVs, speakers, washers, and coffee makers. Gemini is also meant to understand context, like who is speaking and what is happening in the home.

But the Google Home extension has clear boundaries. It cannot perform actions on security devices like locks, doors, garage doors, gates, and cameras. It also cannot do tasks that require a PIN, show live video, or run some routines, and it sends users back to the Google Home app for those.

Amazon is having a tougher time. Reports say Amazon delayed its AI-enhanced Alexa launch from October 2025 to 2026 because even basic tasks, like controlling lights, became less reliable in the new version.

What to watch

Google says it has improved reliability with updates announced in March 2026, including fewer interrupted conversations and better understanding of which device you mean. The big question is whether Amazon can improve Alexa Plus without losing the simple, dependable controls people expect.

Source: NYTimes