Since ChatGPT came to the market in late 2022, major tech companies, including Google, have worked tirelessly on similar products. Google introduced Bard at the start of 2023, which they gradually enhanced throughout the year to make it as capable as ChatGPT despite its rough start. However, Google has taken a significant stride by rebranding Bard as Gemini, now available on mobile devices through native mobile apps.
In December last year, Google initially showcased Gemini’s capabilities in a video they shared. However, only some anticipated the rebranding of their chatbot from Bard to Gemini. In a comprehensive blog post, Google disclosed that Gemini would replace Bard and can now be accessed through browsers or mobile apps with several new additions.
Designed from the ground up
Gemini is designed from the ground up to be multimodal, enabling it to comprehend and integrate diverse types of information, including text, code, audio, image, and video. It is available in three versions: Gemini Ultra, Gemini Pro, and Gemini Nano. Gemini Ultra is a cloud-based version that tackles complex tasks across various domains. Gemini Pro offers versatility without sacrificing performance, and Gemini Nano is tailored for efficiency and on-device usage.
Key advancements
Key advancements introduced by Gemini include notable performance enhancements across various benchmarks, such as text understanding and multimodal reasoning. The underlying model of Gemini excels more than human experts in tasks spanning multiple subjects. Gemini’s advanced functionalities include:
- Comprehending complex written and visual data.
- Articulating reasoning.
- Generating high-quality code in widely used programming languages like Python, C, and Java.
Integration with Google products and platforms
Just as Google did with Bard, it now integrates Gemini into various Google products and platforms. Developers and enterprise customers can access Gemini Pro via the Gemini API, while Gemini Nano will be available for Android developers who wish to integrate its capabilities into their apps. Gemini Ultra is currently undergoing extensive testing before broader availability.
Unlike Bard, which was entirely free, Gemini offers a premium version (Gemini Advanced) priced at $19.99/month. Gemini Advanced comes with the Google One AI Premium plan, which provides other benefits such as 2TB of cloud storage and access to Gemini Ultra. It will soon be integrated into various Google products, including Gmail, Docs, and more. Users can try out Gemini with a two-month trial offered by Google.
Availability expected gradually
Users can access Gemini through their web browsers or the mobile app, which is available for iPhone and Android. Initially launched for US users, the app will gradually become available worldwide. Google also allows Android users to select Gemini as their default Assistant instead of Google Assistant. However, iOS users do not have this option since Siri is the default Assistant on iOS, and Apple is unlikely to change this anytime soon.
