Google just turned its smart speaker into a household AI. With the launch of the new Gemini-powered Google Home Speaker, the company is moving beyond the command-and-response model that defined voice assistants for years. Instead of relying on specific instructions, the device is designed to understand context, maintain conversations, and handle more complex requests throughout the home. The launch represents a major overhaul of Google’s smart home strategy, coming at a time when consumer expectations have shifted from simple automation to AI-driven, nuanced assistance. It also sets Gemini as the intelligence layer connecting Google’s growing ecosystem of products and services that consumers rely on daily. What Gemini changes at home The central feature of the Google Home Speaker is Gemini. For anyone following Google’s product releases, this may not come as a surprise, as the company is embedding Gemini across its products and services. In this case, however, Google is positioning Gemini as a home-focused assistant designed to handle requests in real time. That becomes important in a home setting, where requests are rarely as …