Google is finally launching Gemini on these TV models - with good news for older sets, too

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET's key takeaways Gemini on Google TV is launching today, starting with the TCL QM9K. The AI assistant brings enhanced responses and hands-free controls. Older brands and models will get the same update later this year. To quote the world's best boss, "Oh my God. OK, it's happening." Gemini is finally coming to Google TV, with the TCL QM9K being the first model to support the intelligent AI assistant. Older brands and models will get in on the action, too, but at a later date. Google first introduced Gemini for its TV operating system at CES in January, pitching the voice assistant's ability to process natural language and offer highly contextual responses. The idea was that Gemini could not only surface shows, movies, and channel recommendations across the TV's catalog of streaming services and apps but also handle general inquiries like homework problems, vacation planning, and more. Also: Why I recommend the Google TV Streamer over competing Roku and Amazon Fire models The end goal? An AI-driven experience that's burdenless and easy to navigate (whether through text or speech) and transforms your TV into the ultimate centerpiece. Beyond serving as a multimedia consumption device, a Gemini-enhanced TV should feel more like an interactive smart hub, an information resource that removes some of the friction from constantly picking up our smartphones. A demo of Gemini on Google TV at CES 2025. Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET Ahead of this week's Gemini rollout, I sat down with Shalini Govil-Pai, head of Google TV, to demo the latest features and learn a bit more about what's to come. (I was personally interested to know if my five-year-old Hisense TV would get the same software treatment. Consumers are holding onto their TVs for longer than most other electronics, after all.) We started off with Gemini's browsing capabilities. Govil-Pai asks the voice assistant where she can watch Despicable Me 4. Seconds later, a carousel of streaming services that can play the movie appears on screen, and it's not just YouTube that the AI surfaces. Also: Gemini just aced the world's most elite coding competition - what it means for AGI But it's the follow-up question that hooks me: "Tell me more about the previous Despicable Me movies so I'm prepared for the latest one," Govil-Pai inquires. This extended conversation with a TV felt different and refreshing, but it was very much necessary. It just makes sense for your TV to know what it's showing you, including context beyond Rotten Tomato scores and cast lists. Gemini-powered TVs can also answer general questions like, "Can you explain the solar system to a first grader?" Govil-Pai follows that by modifying the question to third- and fifth-grade levels, and we watched as Gemini adjusted the depth and vocabulary of its responses. Where Gemini goes from here Eventually, Gemini on Google TV is expected to leverage ambient sensors and other TV hardware to adaptively tailor content to the user. For example, proximity sensors will be used to detect your distance from the TV and therefore determine how information is visualized on screen -- the further away you are, the larger and more simplified the content is presented. Also: Google's new open protocol secures AI agent transactions - and 60 companies already support it Similarly, Google TVs will automatically turn on and off the screensaver when you enter and exit the room. "If we want to go even further ahead, concepts like shopping with virtual try-ons are also being considered," says Govil-Pai. What about older TVs? Both of the new voice capabilities will launch with this initial Gemini update, but Google eventually plans to roll them out to other brands and models, including the Google TV Streamer, Walmart onn. 4K Pro, and 2025 Hisense U-series and TCL models. "Our goal is to backport," Govil-Pai tells me. As long as it's a Google TV model with a mic-equipped remote control, the hope is to bring these Gemini tools to as many users as possible. "We will be updating many of them, including lower-end TVs, but not all." Here's to hoping my five-year-old Hisense eventually makes the cut.