Google has launched its AI search engine, rebranding its Bard chatbot to Gemini, aiming to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot. The re-launched AI model has received mixed reviews. Gemini is available in two versions: a free Gemini Pro and a more advanced Gemini Ultra, which requires a Google One AI subscription at $20 per month. The Ultra model offers superior reasoning, coding, and instruction-following skills, along with enhanced multimodal and data analysis capabilities.

Integrated with Google Workspace, the AI Premium plan allows users to draft emails in Gmail, create documents in Docs, manage presentations in Sheets, and record Google Meet sessions. However, Gemini’s responses to sensitive or controversial political queries, such as those regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict or US President Joe Biden, were brief, often suggesting users search Google instead. Conversely, the AI provided detailed responses on non-controversial topics like TikTok trends.

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Despite warnings against seeking medical advice from AI, Gemini offered actionable steps for medical conditions and mental health advice, though it cautioned users not to rely solely on its suggestions. The AI model demonstrated an effort to avoid racial and gender biases, addressing a common criticism of earlier models. Gemini impressed with task integration, effectively planning travel itineraries and categorizing Gmail inboxes by content theme or receipt window.

While Gemini shows promise, it currently lacks unique features that set it apart from competitors like ChatGPT, which offers more functionalities such as third-party plugins, custom instructions, and memory. Gemini’s full potential remains untapped as it awaits further integration with Google’s ecosystem.