Can AI earbuds replace Google Assistant or Alexa? Here’s what they can (and can’t) do

Do you really know about AI earbuds? Have you ever heard of them before? If not, they are real and far more useful than you might expect. Spend a few minutes with them and you will see that they are not some futuristic illusion. Yes, you can talk to them. These tiny devices are capable of holding real conversations, translating what you say and handling tasks without a screen or a wake word. They understand what you say and react accordingly.

You can assign a task to them. Suppose you're walking to your office and suddenly realise you forgot to reply to the meeting invite. Even without taking out your phone, you can simply say, “Reply yes to the 3PM meeting,” and a second later, it’s done. No typing needed, no screen required. This is not a scene from the future. This is what these AI earbuds are capable of. But as these gadgets promise smarter, more natural interactions, the big question is: can they really take the place of voice assistants like Google Assistant or Alexa? Let's find out where they stand and where they still fall short.

What can AI earbuds do today?

These earbuds in simple terms are wireless earphones that are capable of doing much more than playing music. They understand what you say, talk back to you, take notes, and help you with your everyday tasks just by using your voice. You can do all this without needing to touch your phone or look at a screen. That’s what makes these AI earbuds different from regular ones and a step closer to how we might use technology in the near future.

For example, earbuds like Nothing Ear (a) with chat GPT integration or Humane AI Pin let you do more than just playing or pausing music. With them you can actually talk to them like an assistant. You can ask them to give you a summary of the meeting, translate a message to some other language, or give directions all through your own voice. These devices remember what you said, so you don't have to repeat yourself. Unlike older voice assistants, there is no need to start from the beginning.

Places where these earbuds still lag behind

Despite having the wow factors, these are not yet ready to control your smart home. If you try telling them to turn off your lights or start your washing machine, they won’t be able to do it. Devices like Alexa or Google Assistant are still better at handling smart home commands because they are deeply connected to other gadgets in your home.

Another issue which we can face with AI earbuds is that they mostly rely on the internet. So if your connection is weak or you are in an area where signals are poor then they might not work at all. On the other hand voice assistants like Google Assistant or Alexa can still perform some actions with a strong internet connection.

Also, these AI earbuds don’t always work smoothly with common apps . For example, if you ask them to play a song from the Spotify app, send a WhatsApp message, or set a timer on YouTube might not go as smoothly as it does with a regular voice assistant. They’re getting better, but they are not quite there yet.

So, can AI earbuds fully replace Google Assistant or Alexa? Not yet.

But they’re not trying to be the same. Instead of controlling your entire house, these earbuds focus on personal use. They help with tasks, answer questions, reply to messages, translate on the go, and take quick notes while you're travelling. For all these reasons, AI earbuds are a smart tool to have when you're on the move. For managing your home though, Google Assistant or Alexa still does the job better.

In short, AI earbuds are voice assistants in your ears. They are quick, helpful, and improving with every update. They may not replace everything yet, but they clearly show where voice tech is heading.