It is better than the echo but it was smart of both Apple and Amazon to call their assistant by a human name. Google is punishing themselves by making their product a function of saying 'Hey [massive global corporation susceptible to PR emergencies], unlock my front door'

>>Ok Google comes extremely naturally to most people I know.

And it sounds incredibly stupid to anyone else within earshot. I can’t get over how dumb my roommate sounds whenever he uses the thing. My immediate thought when I hear him say “OK Google” is that Google must have told him something and he is responding with “OK” to acknowledge. You know, the way people actually communicate.

I get that it becomes natural after a while but so what? Why start with such an unnatural way to activate it in the first place? Why not “Hey Google”? (I know it is supported in google home)

Not sure what English speaking country, or even US region, you come from but “OK [name], [call to action, often one involving both speaker and listener]” is a thing. And it doesn’t have to be a response to something said previously.

Remember, people can do whatever they want with their language, and it becomes a thing even if you personally aren’t familiar with it.

Exactly, when used that way it involves both the speaker and the listener, as in “OK Bob, let’s go to the park”.

Or, if it is used to pretend a command, it is used as a continuation of an existing conversation, like when you are at the doctor and he or she says “Go ahead and get on the scale” and then “OK, now sit here and open your mouth.”

The way google uses it is definitely not natural.

There is also the pause, after you say “Ok google” and it activates search for you.

Anyway, fanboys will continue to downvote I know but the whole interaction is undoubtedly awkward as fuck.

native speaker of english from USA here. starting a conversation or question with 'ok' is incredibly rare and sounds painfully awkward.