The name of Google’s AI chatbot Bard has barely lasted a year. Now the bot goes by the name Gemini, as does the underlying language model.
Google is renaming its AI chatbot Bard to Gemini. This marks the beginning of the “Gemini era” for the search engine giant, which is now introducing a new AI model and a smartphone app, as it says in a blog post.
Gemini is also the name of the AI model that Google presented in December 2023. The renaming of Bard is intended to reflect Gemini’s “advanced technology,” says Google.
“Gemini is more than just a model. Rather, it supports an entire ecosystem – from products that billions of people use every day to APIs and platforms that help developers and companies innovate,” says Google CEO Sundar Pichai quote in the blog post.
New model, new app
At the same time, Google also announces “Gemini Advanced”. This variant of the chatbot accesses Google’s current AI model called Ultra 1.0. Gemini Advanced is therefore much better able to handle highly complex tasks such as programming, logical thinking, following differentiated instructions and working on creative projects.
Users should be able to use both Gemini and Gemini Advanced on their smartphones. Google is launching a standalone app on Android that can be used as an alternative to the existing Google Assistant. On iOS, Gemini will be integrated into the existing Google app. The roll-out will begin in English in the USA, and will then begin in additional locations next week in English, Japanese and Korean. Other countries and languages are to follow soon.
What Chatbot formerly known as Bard thinks about the role of AI in society and whether he plans to take over the world can be read in the interview with AI.