Google has integrated its emerging Bard and Duet generative AI platforms into a unified service named Gemini. This platform is designed to serve as an all-encompassing tool that merges the capabilities of an assistant, chatbot, and search engine, potentially revolutionizing how users interact with Google’s offerings.
Additionally, Google has launched Gemini Ultra 1.0, the latest and most sophisticated version of its large language model, now available to the general public.
For Android users, the new Gemini app enables setting Gemini as the default assistant, effectively replacing Google Assistant. Sissie Hsiao, the head of Gemini at Google, views this as a pivotal development in creating an AI assistant that is conversational, multimodal, and genuinely useful. While there is no standalone Gemini app for iOS, its functionalities are accessible via the Google app, which allows toggling between Search and Gemini, underscoring Google’s commitment to Gemini’s role in its strategic future.
Most users will interact with the standard Gemini Pro model. Access to Gemini Ultra, the most potent version, requires a Gemini Advanced subscription; this is part of Google’s $20 monthly Google One AI Premium plan, which also includes 2TB of Google Drive storage and other benefits.
Gemini Ultra is engineered to handle more extensive context and engage in lengthier dialogues, excelling at intricate tasks like coding and logical problem-solving. Google’s investment in Gemini signifies its determination to remain competitive against other leading AI entities like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity, and demonstrates its resolve to deliver an attractive consumer product and to encourage developers to create with Gemini.
Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it. This work was created with the assistance of various generative AI models.