Google has unveiled a significant overhaul for Bard, its AI chatbot and assistant, now rebranded as Gemini, aligning with its underlying AI models’ name. The announcement introduces a dedicated Android app for Gemini and integration within the Google app on iOS for iPhone users. This development emphasizes Google’s dedication to advancing AI-driven assistants, aiming to enhance user productivity across various applications. Alphabet’s CEO Sundar Pichai, in a recent earnings call, expressed ambitions for an AI agent capable of increasingly complex tasks, indicating a future where Google’s AI could integrate more deeply into search and other services.
Google’s Gemini changes are a first step to “building a true AI assistant,” Sissie Hsiao, a vice president at Google and general manager for Google Assistant and Bard, told reporters on a call Wednesday.
Accompanying the rebrand is the launch of a subscription service, Gemini Ultra 1.0, priced at $19.99 monthly through Google One, which also encompasses existing storage plans. This premium offering promises users access to Google’s advanced AI capabilities, initially available in English in over 150 countries, with plans to add more languages. Additionally, Google Workspace and Google Cloud’s AI productivity tools, previously known as Duet AI, will now fall under the Gemini umbrella, enhancing functionalities in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet for Google One subscribers. This move aims to further integrate AI into daily tasks, from email response suggestions to potentially managing calendars and personal tasks, marking a stride towards more context-aware and comprehensive AI assistance.
Hsiao from Google explained to reporters on Wednesday that the rationale behind the broad name change was to make it clearer to users that their interactions were directly with the AI models that serve as the foundation for the chatbot.
“Bard [was] the way to talk to our cutting-edge models, and Gemini is our cutting-edge models,” said Hsiao.
