Google has unveiled its latest development in artificial intelligence (AI) with the introduction of the Gemini app. This free app aims to bring the power of AI to smartphones, allowing users to connect to a digital brain that can assist with various tasks such as writing, interpretation, and life management.
Gemini, named after an AI project Google revealed last year, replaces the previously introduced Bard chatbot. With this move, Google hopes to catch up to ChatGPT, a chatbot developed by the Microsoft-backed startup OpenAI in 2022. The standalone Gemini app is now available for smartphones using Google's Android software. In a few weeks, Google plans to integrate Gemini's features into its existing search app for iPhones, despite Apple's preference for users relying on its Siri voice assistant.
While Google's voice assistant will still be available, company executives anticipate that Gemini will become the primary method for users to harness AI technology for thinking, planning, and creating. This marks a new venture for Google, as it continues to pursue its founding goal of organizing information and making it universally accessible and useful.
Sissie Hsiao, a Google general manager overseeing Gemini, expressed excitement about the potential of this technology, stating, 'We think this is one of the most profound ways we are going to advance our mission.' The Gemini app is initially launching in the United States in English but will expand to the Asia-Pacific region next week with versions in Japanese and Korean.
In addition to the free version, Google will offer an advanced service accessible through the Gemini app for $20 per month. This advanced option, powered by an AI technology called 'Ultra 1.0,' aims to go beyond the capabilities of previous AI systems. It promises to tutor students, provide programming tips to engineers, generate project ideas, and even create content based on user preferences.
To encourage adoption, Google is offering a free two-month trial of the Gemini Advanced subscription. This new release reflects the growing trend of integrating AI into smartphones, recognizing their ubiquity in people's daily lives. Last fall, Google introduced the technology in its latest Pixel smartphones, and recently, Samsung embraced it in their latest Galaxy smartphones.
The introduction of Gemini also intensifies the competition between Google and Microsoft, two of the world's most influential companies vying for dominance in the AI field. This high-stakes battle has already contributed to a $2 trillion increase in the combined market value of Microsoft and Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc., since the end of 2022.
In a blog post, Google CEO Sundar Pichai expressed confidence in the technology underpinning Gemini Advanced, claiming it can outperform even the brightest minds in tackling complex topics. Pichai highlighted Ultra 1.0's abilities in massive multitask language understanding, which tests knowledge and problem-solving capabilities across 57 subjects, including math, physics, history, law, medicine, and ethics.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, on the other hand, touted the superiority of their chatbot, ChatGPT-4, which was released last year after being trained on large-language models (LLMs) by OpenAI. Nadella eagerly awaits the competition, stating, 'We have the best model, today even… the fact is, that we have the most leading LLM out there.'
The emergence of more sophisticated AI raises concerns about potential malfunctions, manipulation, and misuse. These concerns have prompted regulations in Europe and spurred similar efforts in the United States and other countries to govern AI usage. Google assures users that extensive testing has been conducted on the next generation of Gemini products to ensure safety and adhere to its principles, which prioritize social benefit, fairness, and accountability.
With the launch of the Gemini app, Google seeks to bring AI into the hands of everyday smartphone users, providing them with a digital brain capable of assisting with a wide range of tasks. As the AI race among tech giants heats up, we can expect further advancements and competition in the quest to reshape work, entertainment, and even humanity itself.
