Olivia Cavallaro Tech 09.08.2022 22:Sep PM EDT

Nest Hub Max Has a New Quick Phrases Feature

Google has come up with an easier way to command the Nest Hub Max's assistant.

Google has finally decided to add Quick Phrases to the Nest Hub Max. Quick Phrases is a feature that the company added to the Pixel 6 phones back in October 2021 and I/O 2022 in May, and they also promised to bring it to the Nest Hub Max. That feature is finally live now.

Now, Nest Hub Max users no longer have to begin every command with "Hey Google," and can instead opt for simple queries such as "What time is it?" and "What's the weather?" or straightforward commands such as "Turn the lights on," "Set an alarm for [time]," or "Cancel the alarm," The Verge reported.

What are Google Quick Phrases?

Quick Phrases is simply the Google Assistant's ability to recognize commands without the "Hey Google" prompt. It was initially introduced when the company unveiled the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. With Quick Phrases on the Nest Hub Max, users can now set pre-selected commands that no longer require the "Hey Google" hotword.

Users must make sure, however, that Voice Match is enabled to authenticate the user and that Google Assistant's first language is set to English (United States), 9to5Google reported. Note furthermore that for multiple people in one household, every user must set up the feature for their own account as Quick Phrases are linked to Google's Voice Match feature.

How to Set Up Nest Hub Max Quick Phrases

Google has established eight Quick Phrases across four categories and assured users that "common variations" of these commands will be understood by the Nest Hub Max. The four categories include alarms, general information, lights, and timers.

Users will then need to manually add each preferred Quick Phrase, and the user-inputted commands will appear under "Your quick phrases." When users say a Quick Phrase, the Nest Hub Max will then display a small icon to acknowledge that it heard the command and then completes the request.

Alphabet CEO Assures Users Google Voice Assistant is Not Sentient

Alphabet, which owns Google, has been heavily investing in AI technology for research and development in various industries, as well as applications in their consumer products, such as the Nest Hub Max. But Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai this week confirmed that the Google Voice assistance is far from being sentient, as other critics have raised concerns over AI becoming sentient, Fortune reported.

Such concerns were pushed back into the spotlight when former Google employee Blake Lemoine claimed that Google's AI chatbot technology now exhibits humanlike sentience. Pichai assured customers that this was not the case.

During Vox Media's Code conference in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, Pichai said that "there's a long way to go" for AI to become sentient. He added, "We are far from it, and we may never get there."

Pichai even cited Google's own Voice Assistant, arguing that while it is "the best assistant out there for conversational AI," it is still "broken...in certain cases."