GE Appliances announced a deal with Google Wednesday enabling the US tech giant's voice control home hub to be used for cooking, cleaning and other functions. The deal enables GE's "Geneva" to communicate with the Google Assistant, so users can say: "Ok Google, ask Geneva Home to set the oven timer for 10 minutes."

The announcement comes nearly a year after GE Appliances unveiled a similar tie-up with Amazon's Alexa-powered speakers. Google and its parent company Alphabet have been seeking to diversify beyond internet search to new kinds of services, many focused on artificial intelligence which powers its Google Home hub and other devices.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2017