Google (GOOG, GOOGL) has made major changes to its generative AI bot Bard, rebranding it to Gemini to align with the underlying AI model that makes the software work, and announcing a new premium version for consumers. did.
Gemini Advanced is a paid version of the company’s bot that gives users access to Gemini Ultra, Google’s largest AI model, for $19.99 per month as part of the company’s Google One AI premium plan.
In addition to access to Gemini Ultra, your subscription includes 2 TB of Google Cloud storage, and future updates will add Gemini to Google Docs, Gmail, Slides, and Sheets.
Jack Krawczyk, Google’s senior product director, explained, “What we’re seeing now is the maturation of Google’s holistic approach to AI.” “And Gemini is the most direct way to access that.”
Last March, Google launched Bard as an AI platform that allows users to enter text prompts and get responses as text, code, or images. In December, Google debuted its Gemini AI model with more advanced multimodal capabilities, including the ability to recognize text, images, video, and code, and began running Bard on top of its software.
Now, Google is looking to build an ecosystem around the platform and has completely rebranded Bard to Gemini. Gemini has three versions of him. Gemini Nano is designed to run on smartphones. Gemini Pro, for business. Use Gemini Ultra for high-end AI applications like Gemini Chat Bot.
As an example of Gemini’s improved functionality, Krawczyk presented a situation where a user had a flat tire on their car. You can then take a photo of your tire, upload it to Gemini, and ask for instructions on how to change your tire. The bot then provides step-by-step instructions on how to attach the donut.
Android users will be able to access Gemini through the new Gemini app from the Google Play Store, or by launching Google Assistant and choosing to use Gemini instead of Google Assistant.
If you want to go back to using Google Assistant, you can’t opt out of Gemini.
If you have an iPhone, you can use Gemini via the Google app and switch to the bot using the toggle at the top of the screen. On the web, you can visit Gemini’s website.
Gemini will first be available in English in the US, followed by Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Africa.
The rebranding from Bard to Gemini is significant, but what’s most interesting is the availability of a paid version. This is a new revenue stream for Google as it looks to monetize increased investment in generative AI.
The move puts Google’s consumer products in direct competition with Microsoft’s (MSFT) consumer AI bot Copilot Pro. This platform also costs $19.99.
Google and Microsoft already compete in the enterprise space through their respective generative AI bots attached to productivity suits. The addition of the consumer version sets up a new battlefield for AI giants to face off against.
Daniel Howley I’m the technology editor at Yahoo Finance. He has been covering the technology industry since his 2011. You can follow him on Twitter. @Daniel Howley.
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