TechCrunch AIJun 17, 2026, 4:30 PMSarah Perez

Google Bets on Gemini to Reinvent the Smart Home Speaker

Original: Google bets on Gemini to reinvent the smart home speaker

Google launches a $99.99 Home Speaker powered by Gemini, replacing rigid Google Assistant commands with conversational AI.

Google has unveiled a new $99.99 Google Home Speaker that swaps out the rule-based Google Assistant for Gemini-powered conversational interactions. The product represents a direct bet that generative AI can revive consumer interest in the smart speaker category. Rather than requiring precise voice commands, users can now speak more naturally with the device.

Google has unveiled the Google Home Speaker, a $99.99 smart home device built around a fundamental premise: that generative AI can breathe new life into a product category that has plateaued since its early-2020s peak. The device replaces Google Assistant — the rule-based voice system that powered earlier Google Home hardware — with Gemini, Google's large language model family, as its conversational engine.

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