Google is rebranding its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Bard as Gemini and launching a paid tier alongside expanding it to mobile devices, a year after its inception.
The move comes as Google's parent Alphabet positions Gemini as the main brand for all its existing and future AI efforts, similar to what Microsoft is doing with its Copilot brand.
Alphabet had first announced Gemini as a family of AI models that is expected to fuel the next generation of AI advancements. It is the first AI model from the tech giant after the merger of its AI research units, DeepMind and Google Brain, into a single division called Google DeepMind, led by DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis.
"Gemini is evolving to be more than just the models. It supports an entire ecosystem — from the products that billions of people use every day, to the APIs and platforms helping developers and businesses innovate," said Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.
Pichai said they are rebranding Bard into Gemini to "reflect the advanced tech at its core". It will be available in over 40 languages on the web across more than 230 countries and territories. It will continue to be powered by Gemini Pro AI model.
Gemini Advanced paid tier
Bard Advanced, which was first unveiled in December 2023, has been renamed as Gemini Advanced, giving users access to the company's largest and most capable AI model Gemini Ultra 1.0.
Sissie Hsiao, Vice President and General Manager, Gemini experiences (formerly known as Bard) and Google Assistant, said that Gemini Advanced is more capable at highly complex tasks like coding, logical reasoning, understanding nuanced instructions and collaborating on creative projects. It also better understands context from the user's previous prompts.
For instance, it can work as a personal tutor, creating step-by-step instructions, sample quizzes or back-and-forth discussions tailored to the user's learning style. It can also help online creators go from idea to creation by generating fresh content, analyzing recent trends and brainstorming improved ways to grow their audiences.
Hsiao said that they plan to introduce more features that will be exclusive to Gemini Advanced in the future including expanded multimodal capabilities, more interactive coding features, and deeper data analysis capabilities among others.
"Before launching Gemini Advanced, we conducted extensive trust and safety checks, including external red-teaming. We further refined the underlying model using fine-tuning and reinforcement learning, based on human feedback" she said.
Gemini Advanced will be available to users as part of a new Google One AI Premium Plan that will be available at $19.99 per month with an initial two-month free trial. It will be available starting February 8 in more than 150 countries and territories in English, with plans to expand it to more languages over time.
In India, the plan is priced at Rs 1,950 per month. It will also include 2 terabytes of storage and other Google One premium benefits including longer group video calls, and enhanced appointment scheduling among others.
Gemini on mobile
Google is launching a dedicated Gemini App on Android and also making Gemini available through the company's flagship iOS app.
Through the chatbot, one can type, talk or add an image to complete various tasks on the go. For example, one can take a picture of your flat tire and ask for instructions, generate a custom image for their dinner party invitation or ask for help writing a difficult text message.
"It’s an important first step in building a true AI assistant — one that is conversational, multimodal and helpful," Hsiao said.
On Android, users can opt-in to make Gemini the primary assistant on their smartphone, following which they will be able to access Gemini anywhere else they normally activate Google Assistant - either by pressing the power button, corner swiping on select phones, or saying the “Hey Google” wake word.
Hsiao said that many Google Assistant voice features will be available through the Gemini app — including setting timers, making calls and controlling their smart home devices — and the company is working to support more in the future. This indicates that Gemini will eventually replace the existing Google Assistant.
Hsiao, however, noted that Assistant will still be available on other devices such as smart televisions, speakers and smart displays among others. While she said that the company will continue to improve the Assistant experience on these devices, it is quite likely that Gemini will replace the application over a due course of time.
Gemini will be available in English language for Android and iOS smartphones in the United States starting today, with full availability expected in coming weeks. Starting next week, users in the Asia Pacific region will be able to access it in English, Japanese and Korean languages with support for more countries and languages expected soon.
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