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Google has an extremely powerful AI chatbot called Bard. It’s already proven to be a helpful and very capable chatbot, and Google has integrated it into several of its products. While the company has Bard, it also has another model named 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?
Think of Gemini as Bard on steroids. Better yet, think of it as Google’s equivalent to OpenAI’s GPT-4. GPT-4 is a much more powerful version of ChatGPT 3.5, and it has the ability to generate more than just text. Along with that, it’s much faster and smarter than GPT-3.5.
This is similar to Gemini. Just like Bard, it’s able to generate text as per your input, but it goes further than that. In general, Gemini is a set of powerful LLMs (large language models) that will work in tandem as a model in and of itself. It’s a much more powerful and capable version of Bard and even more powerful than GPT-4.
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 most likely going to be used 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.
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 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.
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?
At the moment, you can access Gemini Pro through Google Bard. You’ll have access to the enhanced reasoning capabilities that come with that more advanced model. It’s available in Bard now, so you can try it out.
How to access Bard
To gain access to Bard, you don’t have to do much. Head down to the Google Bard Website. There, you’ll simply log in to your Google account. After that point, Google will tell you all you need to know about Bard and how to use it.
Just know that your responses may be used to train the model. If you don’t want that to happen, then you might want to pass it up.
Pixel 8 Pro
Also, if you use the Google Pixel 8, 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 two 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.
Does Gemini cost money to use?
Gemini Pro and Gemini Nano are freely available to use. At the moment, Gemini Ultra is unavailable, but it’d make sense that Google will charge a hefty fee to use it. We’ll have to wait to find out.
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.
Will Gemini replace Google Bard?
For the time being, that doesn’t seem likely. They exist as two separate entities, and Google hasn’t expressed any interest (publically, that is) in ditching one over the other. However, we can’t rule out a merger sometime in the next couple of years. Google often maintains similar products for years before consolidating.
When will it launch?
[Updated, December 6, 2023]
Gemini Pro and Nano are currently available to use. You can use the Pro version by using Bard. A fine-tuned version of Gemini Pro has been implemented into Bard, so you’ll get a taste of it. Also, Users who own the Google Pixel 8 Pro can access Gemini Nano. This model is implemented into the Tensor G3 to perform powerful on-device AI.
As for Gemini Ultra, it’s slated to hit the public sometime in early 2024. When it does make it to the public, it will also be through Google Bard.