Google aims to make its Assistant smarter

To make Google Assistant better, the company has announced a new investment programme for early-stage start-ups to build an enhanced digital assistant ecosystem.

The new initiative will include investment capital from Google to provide additional financial resources for the development, hiring and management of these start-ups. The start-ups will get advice from Google engineers, product managers and design experts to share technical guidance and product development feedback.

“We’re welcoming companies across a diverse range of fields, including start-ups that are developing technologies that broaden the Assistant’s set of features,” Sanjay Kapoor, Vice President, Corporate Development at Google said in a blog post on Wednesday. The programme will let start-ups access to the Google Cloud Platform — the suite of cloud computing services that run on the same infrastructure that it uses for products like Google Search and YouTube.

The first batch of investments has start-ups like “GoMoment”, a creator of “Ivy”, a 24/7 concierge for hotel guests, capable of providing instant answers to common questions.

Another early-stage startup is “Edwin” that prepares students looking to take English as a foreign language tests such as the “Test of English as a Foreign Language” (TOEFL).

“Edwin” combines advanced AI technology with the expertise of professional English teachers to tailor lessons according to individual needs, learning style and pace.

“BotSociety” start-up has created a tool that allows developers to design, prototype and user test voice interfaces.