Google has released an update to its Gemini app, enabling users to access its AI chatbot, Gemini Live, directly from the iPhone's lock screen. This feature, first spotted by 9to5Google, allows users to call up Gemini Live, Google's real-time voice feature, before unlocking their phone by adding a Gemini widget to their lock screen.

This development comes as Apple's own AI-enabled Siri is reportedly facing delays until 2027. In the meantime, competitors in the AI space, such as Google and OpenAI, are stepping in to provide iPhone users with AI assistants of their own. These features may give iPhone users a sense of what's possible with Large Language Models (LLMs) and voice assistants, although Apple's version of an LLM-powered Siri may be more integrated with the iPhone's other functions when it ultimately ships.

Google's Gemini update is not the only AI-powered feature making its way to the iPhone lock screen. ChatGPT's iOS app also allows users to call up OpenAI's near real-time voice feature, Advanced Voice Mode, from the lock screen. This increasing availability of AI chatbots on the iPhone may put pressure on Apple to accelerate its own AI development.

Beyond Gemini Live, the updated Gemini app includes several other lock screen widgets. These include a widget for taking pictures using the iPhone camera and uploading them to Gemini, a widget for setting reminders and calendar events, and another that lets users jump straight to a text chat with Gemini. These features demonstrate Google's efforts to integrate its AI technology more seamlessly into users' daily lives.

In related news, Google announced that later in March, it would allow Gemini users on Android to ask its AI chatbot questions about video and onscreen content, and get answers in real time. These features were first unveiled as part of Project Astra, Google DeepMind's multimodal AI project that is slowly making its way into the Gemini app. To start, these features will be available for subscribers to Google's $20-a-month Gemini Advanced plan.

The implications of these developments are significant, as they demonstrate the rapid progress being made in AI technology and its increasing integration into our daily lives. As AI chatbots become more accessible and user-friendly, we can expect to see further innovation and competition in the AI space. Google's Gemini update is just the latest example of this trend, and it will be interesting to see how Apple responds to these developments in the coming months.