Gemini is on its way to integrate with every aspect of your Google-dominated life, whether you’re ready or not. Its presence will even extend to your vehicle, a development I’m not particularly thrilled about. Once Gemini officially launches, I hope we’ll have a better understanding of how to utilize it safely and effectively while driving. The current demonstration of its capabilities does little to alleviate my concerns.

The investigative team at Android Authority delved into the code and activated the dormant Gemini feature within a build of Android Auto. A video showcasing this, available on YouTube, demonstrates Gemini’s ability to plan a trip within a specified budget. Unfortunately, its response is overly generic and unhelpful for a driver. The site also requested food recommendations, but Gemini failed to provide meaningful follow-through on the Maps display to guide the user to their desired location.

The demonstration additionally reveals the updated Android Auto interface with Gemini integrated. A small indicator at the bottom of the screen will signify the AI’s availability for invocation. It’s likely that Gemini will also be accessible via the integrated button on the steering wheel, similar to Google Assistant’s current functionality.

Android Authority notes that the tested build of Android Auto was simulated on a smartphone rather than an actual car’s head unit. The software showcased in the video is not finalized, and Google has yet to officially confirm Gemini’s permanent inclusion. Nevertheless, my concerns persist.

Driving in this modern era has been a frustrating experience. I’ve previously expressed my dissatisfaction with the dongle in my older vehicle, which has become nearly useless. Immediately after writing about this issue, I began receiving notifications about the impending deprecation of Google Assistant. The Android Auto experience on my Subaru’s built-in dashboard software is also subpar. While it functions adequately for tasks like dictating messages and providing directions, I struggle to get it to identify gas stations along my route as opposed to those behind me. For more specific voice commands, I usually pull over to avoid distractions.

I hope Gemini will offer a genuinely conversational experience. I want to be able to ask it to find a gas station on my route without requiring a significant detour, using natural language to convey my needs. I envision being able to say exactly what I’m looking for and have Gemini understand my request accurately.

Recently, I’ve been experimenting with the chatbot, primarily in a browser, to familiarize myself with this tool that I’ll inevitably have to adopt as an Android user. I’ve noticed that by adjusting my questioning or making it highly specific, I can get Gemini to grasp my needs and provide a helpful response. I wonder if the Android Authority demonstration asked the right questions to fully showcase Gemini’s capabilities. For instance, instead of asking for trip planning within the car, I would ask for something more specific, like, “Help me find the closest McDonald’s to a gas station along my route.” This type of location-based query is what I would ask while driving, and it’s the kind of specific usage case that would make me more accepting of the reduced number of buttons in modern vehicles. I hope this is the kind of integration Google has planned for Gemini in cars, whenever it launches.