Google's 'next generation' Assistant could be its secret weapon to fight the iPhone

The next version of Google's Assistant might be able to pull off what was once unthinkable: actually putting pressure on Apple.

Onstage at Google I/O, the company previewed the "next generation" of its assistant and showed it's even further ahead of Siri. Launching to Pixel phones later this year, the new version of Google Assistant is far more powerful than what's currently available.

In its demo Tuesday, Google showed off how its new Assistant could easily control core phone functions, like turning on your phone's flashlight and using other apps like Gmail. Yes, Google Assistant already works with apps, but the update takes this to the next level with the ability to control core app features with just your voice.

You can get a better idea of how this works in the video below.

All this is possible thanks to improvements Google has made behind the scenes. "The AI that powers the Assistant can now run locally on your phone," Google explains. "This breakthrough enabled us to create a next generation Assistant that processes speech on-device at nearly zero latency, with transcription that happens in real-time, even when you have no network connection."

Practically, this means talking to the Assistant will feel much more natural, since it will be faster and better able to respond to multiple requests. It also means Google Assistant will no longer be dependent on your data connection, so you can still get things done when you're offline.

Of course, the big caveat to all this is if this actually works -- and if enough developers update their apps to support it. Though Google showed the new Assistant functionality working with some third-party apps, like Lyft, the company will need all of its top developers to add support in order to get the best experience. Google also has a habit of over-promising and underdelivering at I/O, so it may be smart to hold off on the hype until we see it in action for ourselves.

But it's hard to see a scenario where this kind of upgrade to Google Assistant isn't a huge boost for Google's Pixel phones (the company didn't say when any of these features might be available to other types of devices). This type of control just isn't available on any other assistant. In its demo, Google demonstrated that it's still lightyears ahead of any of its competitors -- especially Apple.