NEW YORK: In most cases, if you want to play some music or set an alarm with your device's voice assistant, you'll have to use a wake word like "Hey Siri" or "Alexa".

But on Google's Nest Hub Max - a smart speaker with an additional display and camera - you are now able to dispense with the "Hey, Google".

That's because Google has trained the device's built-in camera to understand when you're looking at it.

At the annual Google I/O developer conference on Wednesday, the tech giant showed how users will be able to use the company's smart assistant simply by looking at the Nest Hub Max - no "OK, Google" needed.

When the camera scans that you are making eye contact, it listens to what you're saying so that you can, for example, ask about the weather or tell it to play your podcasts.

To prevent unwanted responses from the Google Assistant, a fleeting glance is not taken into account by the so-called Look and Talk feature when analysing the camera images, Google says.

Google says it will also identify your face and voice to make that only select people can use the assistant.

The removal of the wake word, which feels cumbersome to some and unnecessary branding to others, may help win over further users after the enthusiasm for smart speakers has cooled somewhat since the initial excitement surrounding this innovation.

However industry experts say there remains a certain level of distrust among users, caused by stories that smart speakers can turn on without being activated and then record their owners. It remains to be seen what impact a Google-operated camera that scans for eye contact in people's homes will have on that level of trust.

"Video from Look and Talk interactions is processed entirely on-device, so it isn't shared with Google or anyone else," Google says.

Google also says the function is opt-in, meaning devices won't scan for eye contact unless the owner turns the feature on.

 - dpa