Ok Google ‘Do Black lives matter?’

Google has updated Assistant's response to the question, “Do Black lives matter?”.

Demonstrators wearing protective face masks and face coverings hold placards during a Black Lives Matter protest in Leicester, following the death of George Floyd who died in police custody in Minneapolis, Leicester, Britain, June 6, 2020. (REUTERS)

Google has been announcing new efforts to combat racism amid the ongoing protests in the US. It has now updated Google Assistant to provide a direct answer for “Black Lives Matter”.

First spotted by 9to5Google, Google Assistant now responds to, “Do Black lives matter?” with the reply - “Black lives matter. Black people deserve the same freedoms afforded to everyone in this country, and recognizing the injustice they face is the first step towards fixing it.”

Google Assistant has also been updated to respond to, “Do all lives matter?” To this Assistant says, “Saying “Black lives matter” doesn't mean that all lives don't. It means Black lives are at risk in ways others are not.”

In addition to this, Google Assistant also shows a suggestion for “How can I help the Black community?” It provides a list of articles and platforms where people can make donations to support the cause.

At present, this Google Assistant response seems to be added only for users in the US which makes sense. In India, the response hasn't been activated and to both questions Assistant pulls up related news articles.

Google has been ramping up efforts to combat racism. CEO Sundar Pichai recently announced a $12 million grant to fund organisations working to address racial inequalities. It will also offer $25 million in Ad Grants to help those organisations that are fighting racial injustice provide more critical information.