Remember Bard, Google’s answer to ChatGPT? Well, it is now officially called Gemini. Also, all those fancy AI features that previously went by the name Duet AI have been folded under the Gemini branding. In case you haven’t been following up all the AI development flood, the name is derived from the multi-modal large language model of the same name.
To go with the renaming efforts, Google has launched a standalone Gemini app on Android. Moreover, the Gemini experience is also being made available to iPhone users within the Google app on iOS. But wait, there’s more.
Google has made another remarkable announcement with a price caveat attached to it. Gemini comes in three sizes — Nano, Pro, and Ultra — depending on the training dataset size and the inherent capabilities.
The Gemini Nano model is already running natively on the Google Pixel 8 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S24 series phones. Today, Google is finally opening access to the first-gen Ultra model. It will go by the name Gemini Advanced and roll out with a new Google One AI Premium subscription that costs $19.99 per month.
All this Gemini talk might sound like yet another hype-fueled AI press exercise, but it’s actually a huge move. In fact, it won’t be surprising to see Google Assistant riding into the sunset while Gemini takes its place on your phone, tablet, smartwatch, and more ecosystem hardware.
This is the future of the Google Assistant
“It’s an important first step in building a true AI assistant, one that is conversational, multimodal, and helpful,” says Google. In a nutshell, this is the promised AI revolution that Google Assistant was destined for, and for good reasons.
First, you can access Gemini the same way you would otherwise summon Google Assistant on an Android phone. Long press the power button, summon it using a voice command, or use the bottom corner swipe gesture.” Gemini will be at your service irrespective of what app you are using.
Another perk of Gemini’s arrival on the phone is its awareness of the on-screen content. Say you’ve clicked a picture of a cat knocking over your coffee mug. You can simply summon Gemini and ask it to write a neat message describing the naughty cat for sharing in the family WhatsApp group, and Gemini will wave its magical AI wand to do just that.
Google Assistant hasn’t been able to pull that trick. In the same vein, Gemini will give you answers related to articles on your screen and do everything a multi-modal AI bot is supposed to do.
The best part is that Gemini can live on your phone and pull off most of the tasks that Google Assistant is capable of. Setting up a dozen alarms, only to wake up at the 11th hour? Check. Call up a forever-unreliable friend? Yes. Becoming the overlord of your smart home appliances? Gemini will do that, too.
On iOS, the Gemini app is available within the Google app and will roll out “in the coming weeks.” For now, Gemini is limited to the English language, and its mobile rollout is currently locked to the U.S., but support for more languages is coming, and market availability is expanding, as well.
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