The Google Assistant Is The Natural Language AI Sci-Fi Promised Us

"We think of [The Google Assistant] as an ambient experience," said Google CEO Sundar Pichai. This is the link that makes Google's smart search brain attach to all of your devices, making your Google experience connected. The Google Assistant is not an app, it's an idea – it's a concept. It's what ties Google's smart experience together, on all devices. This is the brand that's attached to the experience that's basically already in place on the devices you've got in your pocket today.

Google explains how this system will work – or already works, as it were – with one simply query.

You'll ask your Google device "What's playing tonight at the movie theater?"

The Google Assistant will reply with a list of movies playing at theaters near you.

You'll then say something like "Is The Jungle Book rated well?" And Google will respond with ratings of that movie. You'll want tickets to the movie, so Google will ask if you want to purchase tickets.

You'll say sure, buy me four tickets for the 8:30 show.

Google will use your connected accounts to purchase tickets, showing you an QR-Code that you'll be able to present at the movie theater to get in to the show. Simple.

Above you'll see Google's first video spot showing off The Google Assistant. Notice how much smarter this system is than what we had just a few short years ago.

Expect updates to Google's ability to get you what you want very soon.