is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid.
After Google removed the membership fee for Gemini in Chrome and introduced new browser features last week, Gemini is now being added to Google TV. It will be available starting on TCL’s new QM9K series TVs — which were announced earlier this month but are launching today — and come to other TVs and streaming boxes running Google TV later this year. It will carry forward the same basic commands that Google Assistant has offered for years, such as playing a specific show when asked. But Gemini on Google TV will also let you have “free-flowing conversations” with the AI-powered assistant, so you can find shows based on specific details or vague descriptions or request a recap if you’re a few episodes behind on a series you’re watching.
In a blog post announcing today’s Gemini expansion, Google suggests asking the assistant for TV show recommendations with prompts that include everyone’s genre preferences or for suggestions based on what shows are currently trending. But Gemini on Google TV isn’t limited to being a tool for finding something to watch. After activating it by saying “Hey Google” or pressing the mic button on your TV remote, you can ask broader questions like “why do volcanoes erupt” or “what’s a dessert I can make in less than an hour?” Gemini will provide text responses that are read aloud, along with suggestions for related YouTube videos.
You can ask Gemini on Google TV for more than just TV show recommendations. Image: Google TV
In addition to the TCL QM9K series TVs that it’s debuting on today, Google has confirmed later availability for the already released Google TV Streamer 4K and Walmart Onn 4K Pro, as well as several 2025 models of Hisense and TCL TVs. It won’t be the only AI assistant on the market: at CES 2025, both Samsung and LG announced they would be bringing Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant to new models of their smart TVs that are debuting this year.