Differences Between Google Gemini Apps and Gemini Models
It’s hard to escape artificial intelligence these days—it’s currently being touted as the next big revolution in technology—and Google is trying its best to lead the way in this time of AI abundance. Its AI efforts are collectively grouped under the name Gemini, but Google Gemini actually comes in all shapes and sizes.
Gemini is the name Google gives to both its AI models (the core technology) and its AI apps (accessed online and on your phone), which means it’s not always easy to understand what they’re talking about or whatever you do. using. Until February 2024, Gemini apps were called Google Bard , which added to the confusion.
With new products and features coming out all the time, most recently at Google I/O 2024 , we felt it was time to explain what exactly the various Gemini terms mean to help you understand and get the most out of these AI tools.
In case you’re wondering, Google chose the name Gemini to reflect the “dual” AI projects that were being developed internally. It was also chosen for its cosmic significance : it is a constellation (and zodiac sign) as well as the name of a 1960s NASA project, and Google wanted to reflect the ambitions of space exploration as well as the multimodal aspect of Gemini (text, images and video).
Google Gemini Apps and Plans
To begin with, there is an app called Gemini from Google that you can download for Android and access it online . At the time of writing, there is no Gemini app for iOS, but you can download the main Google app for iOS and access Gemini by clicking on the Gemini symbol (blue-violet star) at the top of the main tab.
You can think of Gemini as the equivalent of OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Microsoft’s Copilot . Enter clues and you’ll get answers thanks to the power of generative artificial intelligence: you can get poems and essays, travel ideas, decision-making help, and advice on almost any topic you like (just beware of hallucinations ).
In the Google Gemini app, you can choose from two different plans: the basic Gemini plan, which is available to everyone for free, and the paid plan, which gives you access to the more advanced Gemini models (more on those in a moment). Simply put, more advanced models are smarter, faster and more versatile.
There is currently a single Gemini subscription plan called Gemini Advanced , which has some overlap with Google One plans . It’ll cost you $19.99 per month and includes a few extra AI tricks on top of the smarter models: the ability to upload documents and run Python code, and access to Gemini through Google apps like Gmail and Google Docs.
You also get 2TB of Google app storage, which overlaps with Google One. Other Google One benefits are included, such as a 10 percent discount on Google Store purchases. The regular 2TB Google One plan without all the extra AI features costs $9.99 per month.
Google Gemini Models
Google also calls its AI models Gemini: these are the engines that do the heavy lifting of generative AI, including large language models (LLMs) that handle text parsing and inference. There are currently three models under the Gemini umbrella, all of which are regularly developed and updated.
The three main models are Gemini Ultra (largest and most powerful), Gemini Pro (best “for scaling to a wide range of tasks”) and Gemini Nano (for on-device tasks). These models also have version numbers attached to them as they become more feature-rich and advanced. In addition, there is also Gemini Flash (a lighter Gemini Pro) and Project Astra , an attempt to create a comprehensive AI agent using Gemini models, which is still in the early stages of development.
For example, Gemini Pro is the basis of the free Gemini application. If you pay for Gemini Advanced, you’re using either the more advanced version of Gemini Pro (at the time of writing , Gemini Pro 1.5 supports Gemini Advanced) or Gemini Ultra—Google seems to be switching between the two over time.
These models process huge amounts of information, so they usually run in the cloud on Google data servers. There’s also the Gemini Nano, small enough to fit on phones like the Pixel 8 : its smaller size means it’s less feature-rich than the Pro and Ultra, but because it runs locally on your device, it’s faster and more private.
These models continue to evolve at a rapid pace. Visit the Google DeepMind Center to learn about model types to see the latest information about them and how they are used in Google products (including the Gemini app). Hopefully you now have a better idea of what Google Gemini AI you’re dealing with and when.