[This article was updated: Jump to the latest update]
Google previously had an extremely powerful AI chatbot called Bard. It already proved to be a helpful and very capable chatbot, and Google integrated it into several of its products. While the company was building Bard, it was also developing another model named Gemini. The company has since replaced Bard with Gemini. But what is Gemini, and how is it going to be an improvement over Bard?
That’s what this guide is going to go over. We’ll talk about what it is and answer any questions people may have about it. This article will constantly be updated, so you should definitely check back every now and then to see what new capabilities have been added.
What is Google Gemini?
Gemini is a set of powerful AI models that all work in tandem as a model in and of itself. Just like Bard before it, it’s a generative AI chatbot that you can use to generate several types of content depending on which version you have. Much like ChatGPT, you’re able to feed it queries like questions or images and receive answers.
For example, if you want to know what the Great Pyramids are, you can simply ask it “What are the Great Pyramids?” It doesn’t stop at questions; Gemini is also able to generate all sorts of written content like poems, stories, essays, etc.
If you need advice or tips on doing something, you can use Gemini as well. There’s almost no limit to what you can make with Gemini as far as written content goes.
What version of Gemini is out?
At the time of writing this article, the latest and most powerful version of Gemini is Gemini 2.0 Experimental. This model is available for free users and paid users within the Gemini app. To access it, you’ll need to choose it using the model picker.
Who is Gemini going to be targeted towards?
Gemini is a model that’s meant to appeal to a wide range of users. Depending on the version of Gemini you choose to use, you’ll be able to use it for large enterprise-level purposes or simple AI tasks on your mobile device.
How many versions are there?
Gemini comes in different sizes. Google recently released Gemini 2.0 Experimental. As you can imagine, this is the most capable and feature-packed version of the model. This version is used for larger and more business-oriented tasks. Large businesses are more likely to use it to automate data-intensive tasks and others. This model will also power the impressive Project Astra, which was showcased in May 2024.
There’s also Gemini 2.0 Thinking. This is Google’s reasoning model. When it give you the answer, it will break its process down into individual steps and show you. This way, you can see how it came to its conclusion.
Previously, the largest was Gemini 1.5 Pro. This version of the model powers tools like Gemini Live. At this point, only paid users can access this model.
Next down the line, we have Gemini 1.5 Flash. This version of the model is smaller and not as capable as 1.5 Pro, but it’s still a powerful model. This is the model that’s powering the free version of Gemini. It’s a pretty big improvement over Gemini Pro, which was the previous version powering Gemini for free users. As such, you’re still getting a great AI experience.
Lastly, we have Gemini Nano. Obviously, this is the smallest and least advanced version. While small, it’s still capable of some serious AI trickery. This is the model that’s designed to power on-device AI. In fact, it’s currently on the Google Pixel 8 Pro and it powers Samsung’s Galaxy AI features.
Are there different Gemini plans?
Yes, there are different plans for Gemini that offer different perks and functionality.
Core Gemini
This is the free version of Gemini that’s open to everyone. It’s powered by the Gemini Pro model. This gives you the ability to generate both text and images. It takes the place of Google Bard, so it’s just as powerful as the most up-to-date version of Bard before it was replaced.
Gemini Advanced
This is the more powerful version of Gemini that’s powered by the Gemini Ultra model. You can access it the same way you access core Gemini. When you sign up for the Google One AI Premium plan, you’ll have access to it through the website and through the app.
Just like core Gemini, you can generate text and images. However, the more advanced model offers better reasoning and smarter answers. So, if you’re looking for an augmented Gemini experience, then you’ll want to give Gemini Advanced a try. It costs $19.99/month.
Gemini Business/Enterprise
These are the plans to get if you’re looking to add AI to your business to boost productivity. With these plans, you have access to Gemini, and your conversations won’t be shared with advertisers. Also, they won’t be used to train the models or be reviewed by humans.
Gemini Business costs $19.99/month and Gemini Enterprise costs $29.99/month.
Is Gemini better than GPT-4o?
Currently, OpenAI’s most powerful model is called GPT-4o. The company unveiled this one day before Gemini 1.5 Pro, and we’re all wondering which one is better. This is a pretty hard question to answer but, based on a comparison performed BeeBom, it appears that OpenAI’s model is much better when it comes to reasoning and understanding.
However, when it comes to certain specs like context window, Gemini has the upper hand.
Gemini is multimodal. What does that mean?
Multimodal means that a model is able to process and output more than one type of media. For example, a multimodal model will be able to output both text and images. This is the case with Gemini. It can process text, image, audio, and video data.
Only Gemini Pro and Gemini Ultra are able to output more than one type of media. Gemini Pro and produce text and images and Gemini Ultra can do the same with more capabilities coming out as time goes on.
How many tokens can Gemini process?
As of May 2024, many people using Gemini are using Gemini 1.5 Pro. This model is mostly for paid users, but there are some functions coming to free users. This version has a context window of up to 1 million tokens. This is much higher than the context window of GPT-4o, which is 128,000 tokens.
Currently, Google is testing a version of Gemini 1.5 Pro with a massive 2 million-token limit. That’s enough to understand 1,400,000 words, 22 hours of audio, 2 hours of video, or 60,000 lines of code.
As if that’s not enough, Google is internally testing a version with up to 10 million tokens. However, that’s not going to make it to the public anytime soon.
How many parameters does Gemini have?
Along with tokens, parameters are another aspect of an advanced AI model. This information hasn’t been confirmed by Google, but Gemini may have over a trillion parameters. GPT-4 is said to have up to 1.7 trillion parameters. We’ll have to wait until we see both models at their full potential.
How do I access Gemini?
There are several ways that you can access Gemini. The easiest way is through the website. Just navigate there and sign in with your Google account. Then, you’ll be able to start using it. If you’re a free user, you’ll have access to Gemini Pro.
Another way is through the app. Google released the official app to the Google Play Store, and it’s free to download. It gives you access to the same conversations as the website, so all of your conversations will sync between the app and the website.
If you want access to Gemini Ultra, then you’ll need to sign up for the Google One AI Premium plan. This costs $19.99/month, and it comes with 2TB of storage.
Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro
Also, if you use the Google Pixel 8 Pro, you use Gemini Nano. Not too long after announcing that only the Pixel 8 has access to Gemini Nano, the company rolled that back and brought the model to the standard Pixel 8.
Google added this to the phone in its December feature drop. So, if you didn’t install that update, you’ll need to. The addition of Gemini gives the phone several new features. Summarize in Recorder lets the Google Voice Recorder create short and sweet summaries of your recording.
Next, you’re getting a more advanced Smart Reply experience. This is a feature that centers around Gboard. The Smart Reply feature will analyze the conversation you’re having and suggest some possible replies that you can send. There are features out there like this, but they don’t use conversational awareness. Modern features only take into account the most recent message you receive to suggest replies. Smart Reply will take into account the entire conversation in order to get a full understanding of what to suggest.
At the time of writing this, Smart Reply can only be used with WhatsApp, Line, and KakaoTalk. This is expected to make it to more apps as time goes on.
Magic Compose in Google Messages is a feature that brings generative AI into Google Messages. This feature will let you create messages and replies using generative AI. This is for people who need help writing the perfect message.
Galaxy S24 phones
If you use either one of the Samsung Galaxy S24 phones, then you have access to something called Galaxy AI. This is a set of powerful on-device AI tools that you can use on these phones that characterize them. They use Gemini Nano. Here’s a rundown of what comes with Galaxy AI.
Motorola Razr 2024 phones
Motorola recently announced its latest line of foldable phones. These are the next phones to come with Gemini Nano built in. These phones are the Razr 2024 and Razr+ 2024 (in the U.S) and the Razr 50 and Razr Ultra (Outside the U.S.).
This means that these phones will also be able to perform on-device AI. It will make these phones better competitors to Samsung’s Galaxy AI-powered phones. With Gemini Nano, these phones have access to certain features like on-device generative wallpapers.
Google Products
Google has distributed Gemini across some of its services. There’s a feature called Help me write. You can use this feature in both Google Docs and Gmail. This tool will let you use AI to generate text for whatever you’re writing.
Aside from those products, you can also access Help me write using Chrome. The company delivered an update that will allow you to use this feature in just about every text field while using that browser. When you click on a text field, you’ll see the Help me write button appear.
Android Studio
This is the Android development studio made by Google, and it’s free to use. Well, the company implemented Gemini into this program. It exists as a chatbot that will help you with your coding.
Gmail
Google recently released some integrations for the Gmail app for Android. This is still making it to users, but a fair number already have it. When you tap on the Gemini button in the top right corner of the screen, you’ll see the Gemini panel pop up. You’ll be able to tell Gemini what emails you want it to track down. You’ll be able to describe the emails that you’re looking for.
For example, you can type “Find me emails by Jackson”, and it will track them down. Also, you can type something like “Show me my unread emails”, and it will surface them.
There are also actions that you can perform within emails. When you open an email, you’ll see the Gemini button at the top of the interface. You’ll see the panel pop up. This view will give you more options like summarizing the email/thread, suggesting follow-up actions, and suggesting relies. You can also ask general questions about the emails, and you’ll get answers.
At the moment, you’ll want to sign up for the Gmail Android beta on the Google Play Store for a chance to try it out.
When you’re composing an email, you’ll have the Help me write feature. Just tap on the pencil icon at the top of the composing screen. Then, just tell Gemini what you want it to write for you.
What types of files does Gemini accept?
Aside from plain text prompts Gemini can process different types of documents and data files. This list will vary depending on whether you’re a paying customer or not. Free users can upload images to Gemini to be analyzed.
However, paid users (Google Workspace users on Gemini Business, Gemini Enterprise, Education, or Education Premium) can upload TXT, DOC, DOCX, PDF, RTF, DOT, DOTX, HWP, HWPX, and Google Docs files. They can also upload data files such as XLS, XLSX, CSV, TSV, and Google Sheets.
We’re not sure if some of these file types will make it down to free users. Only time will tell. For the time being, you can only upload these files on the website or through Google Drive.
What is Gemini Live?
This is one of the things that Google introduced to make using Gemini just like talking to another human being. Users are able to access this feature using the free mobile app. If they see a speaker icon at the bottom right corner of the screen, then they can start using it right away.
Gemini Live basically allows you to have a conversation with Gemini. While you’ve been able to use your voice with Gemini in the past, Gemini Live is different. The vocal responses are meant to come back as soon as possible after you speak to the chatbots, and those responses are designed to sound natural. Google put a ton of effort into giving the voice “emotions” like excitement, happiness, etc. It’s to closely simulate the feeling of having a live conversation with another person.
Another thing about this feature is the fact that you’re able to interrupt Gemini while it’s speaking. So, if it’s not really giving you the kind of answer that you want, you can immediately start saying what you want rather than waiting for it to be done. The microphone will remain on so you’re able to have an open conversation with Gemini.
What are the benefits of using the Gemini app?
The benefits of using the app aren’t all that surprising. Obviously, using the app gives you the convenience of accessing Gemini on the go. All you have to do is open up the app and start typing.
Another benefit is the ability to use Gemini as an assistant. You’re able to set Gemini as your default voice assistant in lieu of Google Assistant. However, at the time of writing this, there are some assistant features still absent from Gemini. So, you’re probably better off sticking with Assistant until Google eventually kills it off.
Next, there’s the ability to use Project Astra. This is a functionality that was unveiled during Google I/O 2024. This feature allows you to use a camera viewfinder in the Gemini app, and Gemini will be able to identify what it sees in the viewfinder. You will be able to ask it questions about the items in the viewfinder, identify the are you’re in, ask it to generate content based on what it sees, ask it to help with equations, etc. It gives Gemini a set of eyes to look at the world.
As of late May 2024, Google is still working on bringing some of the functions over to the Gemini app. As for what features are going to make it over, we’re still in the dark.
Google also brought two new features to the app in late August 2024. One is called “Ask about screen” and the other is called “Ask about video”. The first one will have Gemini take a screenshot of what’s on your screen and analyze it. You’ll then be able to ask questions about it. Google will give you answers based on what it sees. You can only do this if you’re inside of an app.
The second will basically do this same thing but with YouTube videos. Gemini will read information like the title of the video and the closed captions. Then, you’ll be able to ask questions about what goes on in the video.
What languages is Gemini available in?
As of May, 2024, Gemini is now available in over 50 languages. These include English, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese.
As for the countries that have access to it, Gemini is available in more than 150 countries around the world.
Is Gemini better at preventing hallucinations?
This is an important area for AI. Hallucinations occur when an AI model generates facts out of thin air. These facts are not based on any actual information, and it’s almost always completely wrong. This is what happened when Bard was unveiled. As per any improvement with AI, Gemini is much better at avoiding hallucinations.