Google pulls app from Play Store that hints at exciting proactive assistant for Android
The COSMO app is a testbed for proactive assistant features coming to Android.
Google pulls new AI app from Play Store after listing it by mistake. | Image by PhoneArena
On Thursday, Google released a Play Store listing for an app called COSMO, which appeared to be an AI-powered assistant for Android phones. The listing noted that installing the COSMO app brings the power of AI to your Android device and can handle tasks ranging from "organizing your day to answering complex questions."
COSMO's Play Store history: "Here yesterday, gone today"
Weighing in at 1.13 GB, COSMO's Play Store listing calls it an experimental AI assistant app and notes that it simplifies your life by working behind the scenes. COSMO (no, it does not have the last name of Kramer) works on-device compared to Gemini, which is mostly cloud-based.
Google has since removed the app from the Play Store, but it didn't stop Gemini from being a snitch and telling us all about the COSMO app. The latter uses Gemini Nano as its primary model and can run online and offline thanks to its ability to run locally.
COSMO is an experimental AI app that focuses on proactive AI
Since it relies on the cloud, the Gemini app is small compared to the aforementioned 1.13 GB size of the COSMO app. But here is the big difference, and it is one that is exciting, too. While Gemini is a conversational assistant, COSMO is a proactive agent that takes action based on user activity.
Screenshots showing features from the now removed COSMO app. | Image by 9to5Google
Gemini usually waits for a prompt before springing into action. For example, you might type or ask Gemini what the smartphones were that the late Steve Jobs called "the usual suspects" when he unveiled the iPhone at Macworld on January 9th (2007). In case you want to memorize this to help you win a trivia contest one day, those phones were the Moto Q, Nokia E62, Palm Treo, and a BlackBerry.
These are some of the proactive Skills COSMO can do
Instead of responding to a prompt, COSMO listens to what is going on and automatically responds to users through "Skills." Here are some of the things that COSMO can do:
You can see from this list how COSMO will be proactive instead of reactive, which was a big focus of last year's Made by Google event that introduced the Pixel 10 series.
- Quick Photo Lookup: When you mention a specific photo in conversation, COSMO offers to find that specific photo on your phone.
- Calendar Event Suggester: Proactively offers to schedule a meeting when it detects you deciding on a meeting time with someone.
- Document Writer: If you mention that you need a document, COSMO will automatically draft a letter or will summarize a text.
- Context Awareness: COSMO will know what you are doing as it uses Android's AccessibilityService API to "see" your screen.
- Jargon Definition: If you see an acronym or come across jargon that you don't know, COSMO will explain it to you.
- Recall: If you can't remember something, COSMO will show you things that you're trying to remember.
- Add Timer: If you mention a task that requires a timer, COSMO will ask you if it should create one in the Clock app.
- Events Understanding: Provide context about events.
- People Understanding: Provide context about people.
Some of the app's features will supposedly be announced at Google I/O later this month
COSMO is a developmental testbed, not a consumer-ready app. But if your interest is piqued by this, as mine is, Gemini says that we might see COSMO's features officially announced later this month at Google I/O. The developer conference will take place on May 19 and 20.
I've fully bought into the premise that assistants should be proactive and seeing that Google has continued working on this has me hyped up for Google I/O more than I have been in a long time. You might remember that in the old days, like 2010, Google charged $500 for tickets to the event (although there were discounts for early-bird and academic tickets).
In those days, Google would give attendees a free Android handset or another gift. In 2010, those showing up at Google I/O received a Motorola DROID or a Nexus One.
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