Google Gemini: Everything you need to know about Google’s Answer to ChatGPT – Updated February 2024

google gemini logo

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.

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 three sizes. The largest is Gemini Ultra. As you can imagine, this is the most capable and feature-packed version of the model. The Ultra 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. 

Next down the line, we have Gemini Pro. This is the middle-ground between the most and least advanced versions. Gemini Pro is very powerful and feature-packed, and it’s perfect for decently powerful tasks. If Ultra is used for large enterprises, we imagine Pro being more useful for startups and independent creators.

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.

Is Gemini better than GPT-4?

On paper, it looks like Gemini is the superior model. It scored higher than GPT-4 on several bookmarks. However, these are ever-evolving models, so the story could be different within a few weeks for all we know. Regardless, they’re both insanely powerful models.

gemini benchmark

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?

This information isn’t official, but rumor has it that Gemini can have up to 1 million tokens. Think of tokens as bits of information that a chatbot can “remember.” A token can be as small as a character and as large as a word.

If you type in “I had a bad day”, that’s four tokens, and the chatbot will remember that information when speaking to you. Say, if you type an entire novel into Gemini (let’s say the novel is 50,000 tokens), and Gemini can remember up to 100,000 tokens, then it will remember every bit of information in the book, and it will be able to use that information when generating its responses.

For context, GPT-4 can currently process up to 8,000 tokens. That’s more than enough for most queries, but it’s nowhere near what Gemini is rumored to do.

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.

Who has access to 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 Pro

Also, if you use the Google Pixel 8 Pro, you use Gemini Nano. 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.

[Updated Jan 31st, 2024]  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.

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.

Does Gemini cost money to use?

Gemini Pro and Gemini Nano are freely available to use. However, if you want access to Gemini Ultra, you’ll need to be on the Google One AI Premium plan. This costs $19.99/month.

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.

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