Google Assistant is learning a new language.
Back when Google unveiled its AI-powered Assistant last year, the company said that it would roll out support for regional languages. Assistant picked up the ability to converse in Hindi, and Google is now training the voice assistant to understand Canadian French.
Based on the screenshot, Google is working on making the French Canadian language model of Assistant available both on Allo and phones. That's in contrast to Assistant's capabilities in Hindi, which are limited to Google's messaging app. Google's decision to roll out Assistant to all phones running Marshmallow and above will ensure that its AI service is installed on hundreds of millions of handsets around the world, and the logical extension of that is to introduce support for local languages.
There's no further information as to when Assistant will officially add support for Canadian French, but with the test program underway, we should know more in the coming months.
Thanks Guillaum Gibault!
Reader comments
Google Assistant could soon pick up support for Canadian French
So let me get this straight: Google Assistant may be available in French Canadian before it's available in (normal French)? :D
As a French myself, im tempted to say 'sacrebleu!', even though no one ever uses that in France :)
Besides tabernacle/gosses/char and a seriously funny accent (i keed, I keed), does French Canadian really warrant a special release?
yeah, frustration is talking here
French Canadians are really good at whining so I'm sure Google, like the Canadian government just threw it's hands up and said ok ok, here's your own special version.
Don't be a C U Next Tuesday your entire life.
Looks like it may be available in Canadian French before it's available in Canada...
Tabernac!
Poutine
Franglais
That's super. Now if Google would give me assistant in Canadian English before I die, or AW 2.0 like they keep promising or heck, how about the play store on my Chromebook like they promised last fall?
Maybe the major reason behind this decision is because AI dev in Google Montreal are involved in this. For a AI, the little particularity like French canadian accent vs french international is a big challenge. The new assistant is by definition a AI, everything that google work on for this category happen in montreal since big investement for this. If the futur Ai of this assistant is able to determinate the difference between accent in language, oppose to simply add word in a vocal dictionnary, it would be a great leap in this research. I think is the main reason behind that. Sorry for my english, im French Canadian lol Merci d'avoir lut :)