Google Bard Is Now “Gemini”
The bard is no more. No, Google is not criticizing its artificial intelligence department; rather, it is updated. As of today, Bard is now simply referred to as “Gemini,” the name Google originally gave to its suite of artificial intelligence models .
If you visit bard.google.com frequently, you won’t notice much of a difference at first, other than the name change. It’s now Gemini.google.com , which offers the same features and functionality as Bard of yesterday. However, larger changes to Gemini occur either outside the main web app or behind a paywall.
Google’s artificial intelligence goes mobile
Under the new (almost) name Gemini, Google is creating a mobile experience for its artificial intelligence services. While both iOS and Android are getting mobile versions of Gemini, Android users will benefit the most. On Android, Gemini is a standalone app, while on iOS, Gemini is added to the standard Google app . Both offer the same Gemini experience: Whether you use the Gemini app on Android or Gemini in the Google app on your iPhone, you can still suggest Gemini questions you want answered, images you want to create, or jokes you want to write.
However, on Android things go even further. If you want, you can replace Google Assistant with Gemini. When you do this, not only will you be able to use Gemini with on-screen overlays, but you can also ask Gemini to do things on your phone just like you would ask Google Assistant. With a voice prompt (“Hey Google”) or a long press of the power button, you can ask Gemini about the photo you just took, and then ask it to set an alarm for tomorrow morning, for example. Gemini can’t do everything Google Assistant can, so you may want to fall back to the traditional Assistant if you hit a roadblock.
However, if you don’t like downloading extra apps, I’m told Gemini.google.com will still work just as well on iOS and Android.
Gemini’s mobile capabilities begin today in English. Support for Japanese and Korean languages will begin next week.
Gemini Advanced
We knew that Google was working on Bard Advanced , a paid version of its artificial intelligence service. Now this paid tier is present, of course, under the new name “Gemini”. Gemini Advanced offers Google’s best AI model, Ultra 1.0, and all the processing power it comes with. Google recommends this version of Gemini for “very complex problems”: Google suggests turning to Gemini Advanced for help with a complex coding problem; request for sample tests on the subject being studied; or encourage the bot to brainstorm ideas for creating new content. If you decide to subscribe to Gemini Advanced, you will see that this is reflected in all the ways you use Gemini. Whether you’re using Gemini.google.com , the Gemini app, or Gemini in the Google iOS app, you’ll see an “Advanced” label indicating that you have access to Ultra 1.0 for your queries.
Like ChatGPT Plus, which gives you access to GPT-4 Turbo, Gemini Advanced costs $19.99 per month. However, Google is offering a two-month free trial for new subscribers, so you can try Ultra 1.0 and see if it suits your needs. If not, you can cancel your trial and stick with Gemini’s free tier. Google is also including Gemini Advanced in its Google One plans as a new “Premium AI Plan.” In addition to Gemini Advanced, you also get existing Premium benefits , including 2 TB of cloud storage.
Duet AI, which Google calls its artificial intelligence features in Gmail, Docs, Slides, Sheets, etc., will also be renamed Gemini. Gemini Advanced users will soon be able to use these AI capabilities in Workspace, but not at launch.
For now, Gemini Advanced is only available in English, but Google is working on adding more languages. At the same time, you can access it in more than 150 different countries.