Google Hires From The Onion, Pixar To Write Jokes For Assistant

Google is hiring writers from the farcical newspaper the Onion and the computer animation film studio Pixar to humanize its Assistant AI voice service, a Wall Street Journal report said. Google's new Pixel phone, which will hit stores Oct. 21, will be the first device to feature its Assistant voice service. After Amazon launched its AI voice service, Alexa, it found that people spoke to it as if it were a person. AI in its current form isn't really artificial intelligence since the device doesn't understand the conversation. Google is hiring writers from the Onion and Pixar to "infuse personality" to its voice service, Gummi Hafsteinsson, product-management director of Google Home, told WSJ Sunday.