Google Bard AI Officially Becomes Gemini

Exactly a year after Google announced Bard — its first conversational chatbot — the search giant has given it the first major makeover. As part of a new update, the now-famous name "Google Bard” has been retired in favor of its new name; "Google Gemini", which might already be familiar to some of you. Along with the name change, Google Gemini has also been updated with a new paid tier called Gemini Advanced. This is in addition to a brand-new Google Gemini app that is available for download via the Play Store. iOS users will be able to access Google Gemini via the official Google for iOS app.

The standard, free-to-use version of Google Bard is now known as the Gemini Pro 1.0, and users will be able to continue using it normally by simply going to the old Bard URL which redirects to Gemini. While the name change may hog headlines, there is no denying that the major update to Gemini, this time around, is the arrival of Gemini Advanced, which opens up access to Ultra 1.0 —  Google's most advanced AI model.

The Ultra 1.0 equipped Gemini Advanced chatbot is now far more capable than the free version and can understand more nuanced prompts and even has the capability to understand specific context on the basis of previous prompts.

Google asserts that while the first version of Gemini Advanced is capable enough, the company will continue to improve it and make it capable of performing even more complex tasks. As of February 2024, Gemini Advanced is open to users across more than 150 countries — albeit only in English.

Unlike the Google Gemini app, which is currently only available for download in the U.S., Gemini Advanced is open to users across the globe. As of now, there is only a single pricing tier which costs $19.99/month. If you find that to be on the pricier side, it is noteworthy that Google is also bundling a Google One 2TB subscription with the plan, which should make the deal sound better.

Those signing up now will also get a two-month free trial for Gemini Advanced, which sounds like a reasonable amount of time to test the paid version of Gemini. This combo plan is part of what Google refers to as the Google One AI Premium Plan, and soon, all Gemini Advanced subscribers will also be able to use the chatbot within other Google apps — including Google Docs, Gmail, Google Slides, and Google Sheets.

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As the use of AI becomes more prevalent, there have been concerns about the threat of unsafe content and biases it may contain. Google claims that Gemini Advanced conforms to the company's self-laid-out AI principles and that it has conducted extensive trust and safety checks before deployment.

As for the newly introduced Gemini app, Google confirms that it will soon be made available across 150 countries and territories. There are some notable exceptions, though, with Google explicitly stating that the app won't be available in the UK, Switzerland, and several European Economic Area countries.