Google has recently streamlined its artificial intelligence (AI) products under one umbrella: “Gemini.” On Thursday, Google declared that the Bard chatbot will now be known as Gemini, introduced a dedicated Gemini application for Android users, and announced that its previous AI Duet features within Google Workspace will all fall under the Gemini branding. Additionally, Google is making Gemini Ultra 1.0, which is their most advanced language model, available to the public.
For Android users, Gemini is anticipated to become a familiar tool through the new app. This app allows users to set Gemini as their default digital assistant, effectively replacing the Google Assistant for commands like “Hey Google” or when you press and hold the home button.
While Google Assistant isn’t being completely phased out, its focus has been reduced in favor of promoting Gemini. Sissie Hsiao, the leader of the Gemini project at Google, expressed that this move is a crucial step towards creating a comprehensive AI assistant that is conversational, multimodal, and extremely helpful.
Gemini combines the functionalities of an assistant, chatbot, and search engine. Although there is no dedicated Gemini app for iOS, iPhone users can still access Gemini’s AI features through the Google app. Google demonstrates the significance of Gemini by including a switch at the top of the app that allows users to toggle between traditional search functions and the Gemini interface.
Historically, Google’s search engine has been its flagship product, but this new emphasis suggests that Gemini could become equally pivotal.
Other updates to Gemini mainly involve rebranding efforts. The chatbot retains its previous functionalities, despite shedding the Bard name. The same is true for the AI features in Workspace applications such as Gmail and Docs, which had been grouped under “Duet AI” but will now also carry the Gemini label. These features assist users in tasks like drafting emails and managing spreadsheets.
The standard version of Gemini, known as Gemini Pro, will be used by most people. However, for those interested in accessing the more robust Gemini Ultra, a Gemini Advanced subscription is required. This is part of Google One AI Premium’s new plan, which costs $20 a month. Subscribers also receive 2TB of Google Drive storage and other Google One benefits.
For current subscribers, the upgrade to Gemini features is an additional $10 a month, while new users can expect to pay the standard rate for premium AI services, which seems to be about $20 monthly.
