(Credit: Google)
Google Bard is so 2023. The company is officially rebranding its AI chatbot to Gemini in a bid to unseat OpenAI's ChatGPT.
The rebrand comes from the new “Gemini” model Google’s chatbot adopted in December, when it was still known as Bard. On Thursday, the tech giant confirmed that it's dropping the old name for a fresh start following an earlier leak that tipped off the name change.
"Our mission with Bard has always been to give you direct access to our AI models, and Gemini represents our most capable family of models. To reflect this, Bard will now simply be known as Gemini," the company said in its announcement.
(Credit: Google)The free AI chatbot can be accessed at gemini.google.com. A visit to the old Bard site will redirect you to the new domain. To coincide with the rebrand, the company also launched a Gemini mobile app on Android. For iPhone users, the chatbot will launch on the official Google app for iOS in the coming weeks.
"With Gemini on your phone, you can type, talk or add an image for all kinds of help while you’re on the go: You can take a picture of your flat tire and ask for instructions, generate a custom image for your dinner party invitation or ask for help writing a difficult text message,” the company adds. Android phone users will also be able to access Gemini through the Google Assistant, which can be activated through a long tap on the home button.
Gemini Advanced vs. ChatGPT Plus
The other major announcement is that Google’s answer to ChatGPT Plus is here. Along with the rebrand, the company has officially launched Gemini Advanced, which runs the company’s most capable AI model, Gemini Ultra.
“In blind evaluations with our third-party raters, Gemini Advanced with Ultra 1.0 is now the most preferred chatbot compared to leading alternatives,” the company claimed.
For now Gemini Advanced is only available in English. But it supposedly excels at computer coding, logic reasoning, and creative projects, making it smart enough to become your personal tutor on various subjects. But like ChatGPT Plus, Google is requiring users to pay for Gemini Advanced, which will also cost $19.99 per month.
(Credit: Google)In return, subscribers can expect to receive not just a smarter chatbot, but more features, including the ability to use Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Slides, and Sheets. To make the offer more enticing, the company is bundling the premium chatbot with access to Google One, which offers 2TB of cloud storage and a VPN app.
Google is offering a free, two-month Gemini Advanced trial, after which you'll be charged $20 per month. The upgrade offer is also available on the main Gemini site.
(Credit: Google)