Title: Gemini 3.8 TTS / voice is a downgrade for personal-assistant and companion apps
I build two voice products on Gemini: a personal assistant and a companion app. Both run on the Aoede voice with carefully tuned prompts, and on the current Live model they sound natural, warm and like a real person.
When 3.8 was released I tested it on both. It failed:
- Lack of personality. The voice is flat and generic. The warmth and character we have tuned for months are gone.
- Shorter, clipped replies. It gives the minimum and stops, which kills a natural conversation.
For a PA or companion, personality and natural conversation are the product. A model tuned for short, neutral answers may suit call centres or readouts, but it is a step backwards for us.
I would like Google to:
- Acknowledge that 3.8 is a regression for personal-assistant and companion use.
- Keep the current Live model and voices available until there is a proper replacement.
- Build, or offer a mode for, a PA/companion-friendly voice model that keeps personality, warmth and natural reply length.
Happy to share side-by-side samples if that helps.