Google reorganization in Assistant follows Bard launch, memo says

Google will reorganize and focus more on the reporting structure of its virtual assistant unit called Assistants. bardthe company’s new artificial intelligence chat technology.

In a memo to employees on Wednesday titled “Changes to the Assistant and Bard Teams,” Sissie Hsiao, vice president and head of the Google Assistant business unit, said the unit was making bards extremely difficult. announced a change in organization indicating a preference for

Jianchang “JC” Mao, who reported to Xiao, plans to leave the company for personal reasons, according to a memo seen by CNBC. Mao served as vice president of engineering for his Google Assistant, and “now he helped shape the Google Assistant,” Hsiao wrote.

Mao will be replaced by Peeyush Ranjan, a 16-year Google veteran. Peeyush Ranjan most recently held the title of vice president of Google’s commerce division, overseeing payments.

“As the Bard’s team continues this work, we want to ensure that we continue to support and execute on future opportunities,” Xiao said in an email. We’ve been focused on deliveries that impact our users.”

Google Assistant is an AI-powered virtual assistant software application and language processing software. apple Siri or Amazon’s Alexa. Assistants are often in the form of voice recognition and are used in mobile he devices and home devices, including Pixel smartphones and Nest smart he speakers and devices. It is also used in smart watches, smart displays, TVs, and vehicles via the Android Auto platform.

The new leadership change suggests the assistant organization may be planning to integrate Bard technology into similar products in the future.

Last week, Google launch ChatGPT rival Bard opened up to the public, calling it an “experiment,” and began testing in the US and UK after CNBC. report Product testing in January. Formerly CNBC report The company brought together team members from different areas of the company to focus on Bard as part of its “Code Red” initiative.

As part of Wednesday’s changes, Amar Subramanya, Google Assistant’s vice president of engineering, will lead engineering for the Bard team, the email said. Trevor Strohman, who previously led Bard’s engineering efforts, will continue to report to Hsiao as Bard’s Area Tech Lead.

However, there are still big questions about how this technology can be used to generate revenue.

executives have alluded to Although it could not be used as a search product, Bird Reed recently disrespect Even if the company rushes to respond, the use case should be communicated to employees. Microsoft’s Bing Chat and GPT integration.

Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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