Google’s new home AI continues to literally see things
By | Published: 2025-10-31 21:46:44 | Source: Digital Trends
What happened? Earlier this month, Google finally began rolling out Gemini for Home, which was first announced earlier this year, bringing the advanced AI assistant to the smart home ecosystem with deeper integration across Nest Cams and other devices. but Early user reports It shows that the system still struggles with awareness of the real world, sometimes in ways that are more funny than functional.
- Nest Cam owner, Ars Technica Ryan Whitwamreceived an alert prompting A deer entered their family roomwhich turns out to be just their dog.
- in Another casetwin ‘Fake people’ were flagged in the live streamEven though there was no one there.
- Beyond misidentificationsUsers also reported broken actions, unsupported voice commands, and… Device control failure Since moving into Gemini.
Why this is important: Smart home systems rely on accurate recognition and reliable automation. When a camera randomly warns you about wildlife inside or imagines visitors who aren’t there, it erodes user trust, especially when these tools are marketed as security products. Gemini for Home highlights both the promise of smart homes powered by artificial intelligence and the pitfalls that can occur when that intelligence goes off the rails.
- False positives can create unnecessary anxiety, or worse, cause people to ignore legitimate alerts.
- Misidentification or fake detections may reduce the credibility of truly important alerts (such as break-ins).
- As Gemini transitions to Google’s smart home strategy, these missteps could slow its adoption and damage credibility.
Why should I care? If you already use Google smart home products, or plan to, these early issues show that AI-powered detection still has a long way to go. The idea is that Gemini will make your home safer and smarter, but inconsistent alerts mean you may end up having to manually validate each notification. If errors become routine, you may begin to ignore warnings that are actually important. In short, Gemini aims to be a proactive watchdog, but for now they still need supervision.
Okay, so what’s next? Google will need to tighten up its Gemini for Home program with detection model updates, Nest firmware improvements, and communicate more clearly about performance limitations. Stay tuned for improvements to notifications, new privacy and filtering options, and smarter ways to manage notifications. Until then, treat Gemini’s alerts as helpful suggestions, not absolute truth, and always double-check what your cameras say they see.
(Tags for translation)Smart Home
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