Gemini is Google’s AI chatbot, formerly known as Bard. It’s an app you download from the Google Play Store, but it really it’s a piece of the Google app that’s probably already on your phone if it runs Android. Once it’s up and running, you can replace the standard Google Assistant with Gemini and invoke it in all the same ways you would the old Assistant.
But, as The Verge reports, instead of just setting timers and telling you the weather, it can do all the stuff Bard did — answer complex questions, make suggestions, and read your email, if you let it. That last part is important. Gemini isn’t nearly as good of a conversationalist as ChatGPT, but its ability to hook into Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Docs is what makes it really interesting.
Most of the time if you ask AI to write an email or text, the results are too embarrassing to actually send to anyone, but The Verge’s reviewer said that Gemini did a good job. This may not sound like a big deal, but the ability to use AI to actually get tasks done, makes it a really useful tool. What most people actually want is help with the pile of digital garbage we’re all constantly having to wade through these days.
Gemini isn’t that thing yet, unfortunately, but it does seems to be more useful than the regular Assistant by a mile. There’s the little G icon at the bottom of every answer it gives you, which allows you to search Google and fact-check Gemini’s work. Since AI has a tendency to make stuff up occasionally, that’s kind of important. Gemini can also come up with things like a recipe or a packing list, and it can then export answers directly to Google Docs or Gmail.
Gemini isn’t great at picking up on context. Talking to Gemini feels like talking to a page of Google Search results. If you say, “Hey Google” and ask it a question, it’ll speak the response to you. Otherwise, you’re just reading text. And it’s often a lot of text; this assistant could use an editor. The Verge reviewer also noted that Gemini can’t access your calendar, but there’s currently no extension for it like there is for Gmail and Docs. If you want to add something to my calendar, you have to switch back to the regular Assistant.
A decade ago, smart assistants like Siri and Alexa were pitched as the next big way of interacting with our devices, but across the industry we’ve seen their progress stall out. Right now, Gemini is an entirely optional assistant. But it’s also easy to see how it might eventually replace Google Assistant as the default, especially since Google has been scaling back Assistant features in recent history. Maybe we just reached the limits of what non-AI voice assistants can do reliably.
For now, swapping Gemini for the usual Google Assistant feels like a low-stakes bet. If Gemini can still set timers and tell you if it’s going to rain, why not bet on something a little smarter to help you with your day to day? Hopefully it learns a few lessons from ChatGPT along the way.
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