Google is planning a major reorganization of the Google Assistant team, which will result in multiple layoffs or transfers to a new division focused on integrating artificial intelligence technologies into the virtual assistant. According to Axios, this information was disclosed in an internal Google memo.

A large language model (LLM), such as ChatGPT or Google’s own Bard, will be used to train the assistant. Part of the team has already begun working on this initiative.

“We remain strongly committed to Assistant and look forward to its future,” stated Duke Dukellis, Director of Product Management, and Peeyush Ranjan, Google’s Vice President.

They note that LLM technology is expected to significantly enhance the virtual assistant, which is used by hundreds of millions of people every month.

Information about integrating the Assistant with artificial intelligence tools first surfaced in March, when Peeyush Ranjan was appointed head of Google Assistant development. Now these changes are having a direct impact on the developers.

The virtual personal assistant known as Google Assistant was created by Google and introduced on May 18, 2016, at the Google I/O conference. Similar to Apple and Amazon assistants, the project relies on artificial intelligence and speech recognition technology.

The Assistant operates on mobile and home devices such as Pixel smartphones, smart speakers and Nest gadgets, wearables, smart displays, TVs, and cars running Android Auto.