Google distributes AI freebies to millions of Android owners – it’s very useful, but you’ll need to lock your phone to try it

GOOGLE has released an update that allows users to communicate with an AI assistant while their phones are locked.

The company launched its latest major language model, Google Twinsin December. Twins powers GoogleThe company’s chatbot, previously called Bard, is slowly being integrated into other services.

The tool is available as a mobile app for Android and iOS, but can also replace Google Assistant activated Android devices.

Thanks to a new update, users can take advantage of the powerful virtual assistant even when their phones are locked.

Previously, Twins it could only provide low-level services on the lock screen, such as pausing music and setting alarms. Users would be asked to unlock their phones to ask more complex questions.

After the latest update, you can ask the device “general questions,” like those about the weather. A response will appear on the lock screen and read aloud.

Activate Twins To the lock screen, open the app and tap your profile photo to access the Settings menu.

Under “Twins on lock screen”, enable or disable “Replies on lock screen”.

Moving on, just tap the screen or say “Hey Google” to wake up the virtual assistant.

The company says users can also enlist Gemini’s help with “quick voice actions powered by Google Assistant” when your phones are locked.

This includes controlling alarms, timers, and music, as well as some phone functions like flashlight and volume.

Touch “Google Assistant characteristics in Twins” in the Settings menu, followed by “Google Assistant on lock screen” to turn “Replies on lock screen” on or off.

Although many Google fans cheer in the latest update, it does nothing to allay the concerns of data privacy experts.

Twins landed in hot water last week following the revelation that it could be reading users’ files without their consent.

Kevin Bankston was the first to raise the alarm. Bankston, associate professor at Georgetown Lawclaimed that Gemini had summarized a private document, apparently without permission.

“I just opened my tax return in Google Docs – and spontaneously, Gemini summarized it,” he he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“So… Gemini is automatically ingesting even the private documents I open in Google Docs? WTF, guys. I didn’t ask for this.”

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Bankston’s viral post sparked a discussion about data privacy in the age of artificial intelligence.

The professor, specializing in AI law, stated that the tool was acting beyond authorized limits.

“I found the setting that was supposed to keep Gemini out of my documents… and it was already turned off!” he proclaimed in a subsequent post.

“Still, Gemini is giving me document summaries. A configuration that doesn’t work is even worse than no configuration at all.”

What is Google Gemini?

You may have heard of Google’s Gemini AI tool – so what exactly is it?

Google’s Gemini AI launched in December 2023 and is available onlineadvertised as a way to “increase your creativity and productivity”.

Gemini is a multimodal model that learns from a variety of data types, including images, text, and audio.

When a user enters a request into Gemini, it generates a response using information it already knows or extracts from other sources (usually Google services).

While training on datasets, it identifies patterns that help it mimic a human response. Because they are continually learning, Gemini also learns from your requests, responses, and feedback.

Google admitted that “Gemini will make mistakes and may even say something offensive.”

The program occasionally cites its sources. If you quote a web page at length, for example, you reference that page. Sometimes it generates a URL that users can click.

Gemini has usage limits to reduce traffic, which means it can limit the number of requests and conversations a user can have within a specific time period.

This number depends on factors such as the length and complexity of the user’s requests and the length of the conversation with Gemini. Google will alert you when you are close to reaching the limit within a certain period.

Google issued a response amid the growing backlash.

“Our generative AI characteristics are designed to give users choice and keep them in control of their data,” the company wrote in a media release.

“Using Gemini in Google Workspace requires the user to proactively enable it, and when they do, its content is used in a privacy-preserving manner to generate useful responses to their requests, but is not otherwise stored without permission.”

The Gemini mobile app was made available in the UK last month.

Google has also equipped its latest flagship phones with AI.

The Pixel 8a, Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro support Gemini Nano, a simpler model that can work even without an Internet connection.