According to The Verge, Gemini on Google TV is getting a major update that adds AI video and image creation tools called Nano Banana and Veo. The upgrade also introduces new voice-control capabilities for adjusting TV settings like picture and audio. These features will first arrive on select TCL television sets, with a broader rollout to additional Google TV devices planned over the coming months. The enhanced Gemini will provide more visual responses, generate narrated “deep dives,” and can even search your Google Photos to create stylized slideshows.
Fun vs. function
Look, the AI image and video stuff is a classic CES “look what we can do” feature. It’s flashy. Creating a weird video clip of your dog as an astronaut on your big screen is a neat trick. But is it useful? I’m skeptical. How often are you really going to do that? It feels like a solution in search of a problem, or more accurately, a marketing bullet point in search of a user.
But here’s the thing: the voice-controlled settings? That’s the real winner. It’s simple, practical, and solves an actual annoyance. Everyone’s had that moment where the dialogue is muddy or the screen is too dark, and you have to fumble for the remote, dive into menus… it’s a pain. Just saying “the screen is too dim” is a game-changer for accessibility and pure convenience. That’s the kind of AI helper I want.
The platform play
Starting with TCL sets is a smart, if predictable, hardware partnership move. It gives Google a controlled launch with a specific manufacturer before the messy rollout across countless third-party dongles and TVs. Basically, they’re using TCL as a test bed. If it goes smoothly, the wider release later this year has a better shot.
So what does this mean for the living room? It’s another step toward the voice assistant being the primary interface. We’re moving past simple “play this show” commands. Now it’s about controlling the device itself and, yes, generating weird content on the fly. The promise—or maybe the threat—is a TV that you talk to for everything. Whether that’s a future we all want is still up for debate.
