Google took its next leap in artificial intelligence Wednesday with the launch of project Gemini, an AI model trained to behave in human-like ways that’s likely to intensify the debate about the technology’s potential promise and perils.

The rollout will unfold in phases, with less sophisticated versions of Gemini called “Nano” and “Pro” being immediately incorporated into Google’s AI-powered chatbot Bard and its Pixel 8 Pro smartphone.

With Gemini providing a helping hand, Google promises Bard will become more intuitive and better at tasks that involve planning. On the Pixel 8 Pro, Gemini will be able to quickly summarize recordings made on the device and provide automatic replies on messaging services, starting with WhatsApp, according to Google.

Gemini’s biggest advances won’t come until early next year when its Ultra model will be used to launch “Bard Advanced,” a juiced-up version of the chatbot that initially will only be offered to a test audience.

The AI, at first, will only work in English throughout the world, although Google executives assured reporters during a briefing that the technology will have no problem eventually diversifying into other languages.

Based on a demonstration of Gemini for a group of reporters, Google’s “Bard Advanced” might be capable of unprecedented AI multitasking by simultaneously recognizing and understanding presentations involving text, photos and video.

Gemini will also eventually be infused into Google’s dominant search engine, although the timing of that transition hasn’t been spelled out yet.

“This is a significant milestone in the development of AI, and the start of a new era for us at Google,” declared Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, the AI division behind Gemini. Google prevailed over other bidders, including Facebook parent Meta, to acquire London-based DeepMind nearly a decade ago, and since melded it with its “Brain” division to focus on Gemini’s development.

The technology’s problem-solving skills are being touted by Google as being especially adept in math and physics, fueling hopes among AI optimists that it may lead to scientific breakthroughs that improve life for humans.

But an opposing side of the AI debate worries about the technology eventually eclipsing human intelligence, resulting in the loss of millions of jobs and perhaps even more destructive behavior, such as amplifying misinformation or triggering the deployment of nuclear weapons.

“We’re approaching this work boldly and responsibly,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a blog post. “That means being ambitious in our research and pursuing the capabilities that will bring enormous benefits to people and society, while building in safeguards and working collaboratively with governments and experts to address risks as AI becomes more capable.”

Gemini’s arrival is likely to up the ante in an AI competition that has been escalating for the past year, with San Francisco startup OpenAI and long-time industry rival Microsoft.

Backed  by Microsoft’s financial muscle and computing power, OpenAI was already deep into developing its most advanced AI model, GPT-4, when it released the free ChatGPT tool late last year. That AI-fueled chatbot rocketed to global fame, bringing buzz to the commercial promise of generative AI and pressuring Google to push out Bard in response.

Just as Bard was arriving on the scene, OpenAI released GPT-4 in March and has since been building in new capabilities aimed at consumers and business customers, including a feature unveiled in November that enables the chatbot to analyze images. It’s been competing for business against other rival AI startups such as Anthropic and even its partner, Microsoft, which has exclusive rights to OpenAI’s technology in exchange for the billions of dollars that it has poured into the startup.

The alliance so far has been a boon for Microsoft, which has seen its market value climb by more than 50% so far this year, primarily because of investors’ belief that AI will turn into a gold mine for the tech industry. Google’s corporate parent, Alphabet, also has been riding the same wave with its market value rising more than $500 billion, or about 45%, so far this year. Despite the anticipation surrounding Gemini in recent months, its launch barely budged Alphabet’s stock in Wednesday’s morning trading.

Microsoft’s deepening involvement in OpenAI during the past year, coupled with OpenAI’s more aggressive attempts to commercialize its products, has raised concerns that the non-profit has strayed from its original mission to protect humanity as the technology progresses.

Those worries were magnified last month when OpenAI’s board abruptly fired CEO Sam Altman in a dispute revolving around undisclosed issues of trust. After backlash that threatened to destroy the company and result in a mass exodus of AI engineering talent to Microsoft, OpenAI brought Altman back as CEO and reshuffled its board

With  Gemini coming out, OpenAI may find itself trying to prove its technology remains smarter than Google’s.

“I am in awe of what it’s capable of,” Google DeepMind vice president of product Eli Collins said of Gemini.

In a virtual press conference, Google declined to share Gemini’s parameter count — one but not the only measure of a model’s complexity. A white paper released Wednesday outlined the most capable version of Gemini outperforming GPT-4 on multiple-choice exams, grade-school math and other benchmarks, but acknowledged ongoing struggles in getting AI models to achieve higher-level reasoning skills.

Some computer scientists see limits in how much can be done with large language models, which work by repeatedly predicting the next word in a sentence and are prone to making up errors known as hallucinations.

“We made a ton of progress in what’s called factuality with Gemini. So Gemini is our best model in that regard. But it’s still, I would say, an unsolved research problem,” Collins said.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/google-gemini-artificial-intelligence-launch-95d05d02051e75e20b574614ae720b8b

Gemini

Nice one

The earlier Launch of Gemini was a flop..... How will that beat ChatGPT?


Google should rest abeg!


They will now force that nonsense AI to all its android devices..... Like the useless Google assistance.

PS712:

Still Bard gives real-time authentic information than generic ChatGPT, although the later has stepped up, especially on its paid version ChatGPT plus.

Except your prompt entry is sketchy.

Promting enables the AI to source for real-time authentication and response.

For me ChatGPT still beats Google Bard so far for now.

I thought Bard was there response

Nothing beats innovation

Hmm...

Battle of the AIs. OpenAI still teaching the others a lesson in first-mover advantage. Twice Google has created two AI models - Bard and now Gemini.

Too long, I didn’t read. Children on Nairaland who will fail JAMB once again next year will come to criticize Google. Una lives na comedy.

... people using this are actually helping to polish and oil the gun they'll be shot with !!!!!

May OLODUMARE hasten the expiry date.

JASONjnr:
The earlier Launch of Gemini was a flop..... How will that beat ChatGPT?


Google should rest abeg!


They will now force that nonsense AI to all its android devices..... Like the useless Google assistance.

Still Bard gives real-time authentic information than generic ChatGPT, although the later has stepped up, especially on its paid version ChatGPT plus.

Good 👍 initiative

Bard, germini,ChatGPT are all the same

Lol hope dey don't get sued for copyright is a Cryptoo company not bearing Gemini already...

Bard nko?

When would African arise...we still struggling to produce power and backward school curriculum

Capitalist institutions should NOT be allowed to develop AIs. Especially monopolistic behemoths like Google.

When advancements in AI intersects with advancements in robotics as is currently the case, humans will soon be slaves to machine overlords.

Not in the way we are already slaves to phones and social media, either. Like slave slave. Like picking cotton under a hot sun slave.


The TV show Person of Interest clearly shows a definitive picture of the dystopia that awaits humanity WHEN AI goes rogue.

Used bard recently. Bard is light years behind ChatGPT

Nice

If it's not panadol, it cannot perform like panadol

These are the real software developers.

No be all these 9ja guys weh no go let us rest for twitter because them do one small website..

I swear we are just bunch of noisemakers in this country. Something other nations have achieved 30yrs ago, once we achieve it, we won't let social media space rest. I remember some few years back when some mechanical engineering students of ABU produce a car or so, the way we made noise about it then, you'll think we were the first nation on earth to do it. We no sabi anything for this country, make we no deceive ourselves.

Which programming language we don create? Like seriously, apart from web and mobile apps wetin we sabi again?

If I see the way weh 9ja guys de make noise for twitter about being software engineers ehn, I de look them like mumu

Truly, empty vessel make the loudest noise.

DrAda:
Used bard recently. Bard is light years behind ChatGPT

both bard and bing are learners. I only use them to source for papers

I give it 6 months.

Google will over promise and under deliver and then cancel the whole thing because it's not a hit.

Make I test am first!

femi4:
both bard and bing are learners. I only use them to source for papers

So which is the best?

Based on a demonstration of Gemini for a group of reporters, Google’s “Bard Advanced” might be capable of unprecedented AI multitasking by simultaneously recognizing and understanding presentations involving text, photos and video.

Now this up there is my favourite part in the whole article I just read. This is a welcome development.

The free one called bard is already serving me well and I rate it 3X better than Chat GPT-4 anytime anyday (for some reasons).

Here are my reasons:
Google owns bard and with this there is no limit to the amount of information you can fetch or access from Google using bard.

If you know your way around SEO trust you can use Bard to do some crazy shit and pull out some crazy information.

I constantly use this ai machine to steal google's most protected data (what the big boys pay thousand of dolls for) 😁🤑

I don't know if anyone has discovered this but I did on my own and even if anyone has we are definitely not many.

And with this presentation, phot and video recognition ability for Gemini, the deal done. My greatest problem has been solved.

Don't come mentions to tell you anything pls 🙃 this secret is reserved for only my family. Nigerians to dey cast abeg... 😁

Me revealing this to you is already enough expo. Do with this information whatever you wish.