A Decent AI Chatbot With Fantastic Tie-Ins
Google Gemini (formerly Google Bard) originally focused on bringing AI to web searches, but the AI chatbot now does much more. It proves more than capable of processing files, generating videos (with sound), and solving complex problems. Gemini also benefits from bundled cloud storage and close integrations with flagship Google apps; it can answer questions about pages you browse in Chrome and help you manage your Gmail, for instance. All that said, the chatbot’s deep research sourcing and image generation features don’t stand out. And, like all chatbots, it sometimes provides incorrect information. Gemini is worth exploring if you want a chatbot that works seamlessly with your favorite Google apps, but ChatGPT remains our Editors’ Choice winner because of its consistent ability to provide more accurate and detailed responses.What Is Gemini?
Gemini is an AI chatbot you can message over text or talk to with your voice, like Microsoft Copilot or ChatGPT. You can use Gemini to analyze documents, answer questions, generate images and videos, research, pen creative writing, search the web, and solve math problems, among many other things. Think of Gemini as an advanced virtual assistant.
Gemini also has a variety of features for coders, such as Gemini Code Assist and the Jules asynchronous coding agent. You can use Gemini to do everything from creating a custom WordPress plug-in to debugging troublesome code. These features are outside the scope of this review, but there are ways you can test Gemini’s coding ability for yourself.
I find AI chatbots like Gemini most useful for answering questions and conducting research. Googling something can take longer than simply asking Gemini, for example. And I prefer to use Gemini’s deep research as my jumping off point for solving more complex problems, rather than spending an hour or two combing through search results.
However, it’s important to remember that chatbots are fallible. Gemini will get things wrong, so you simply can’t trust everything it says. Chatbots are trustworthy enough when it comes to satisfying idle curiosities or troubleshooting, but make sure you double-check whatever you learn from Gemini against a reputable source for anything serious.How Does Gemini Work?
At its core, Gemini receives prompts and returns responses. It’s powered by large language models (LLMs) made up of artificial neural networks trained on huge sets of data. These models give Gemini access to data on every topic imaginable, and it can also search the internet for up-to-date information.
When you work out at the gym, you train yourself to get stronger, and Gemini works similarly. By using Gemini, you participate in training its underlying models. Over time, even without new features or models, Gemini can return more accurate responses and make fewer mistakes. This is a gradual process, however.
Gemini uses two primary lines of models: Flash and Pro. Gemini’s Flash line is its conversational, flagship line. The Pro line specializes in complex reasoning, making it ideal for coding, math, and science. Each model within these lines has distinct strengths. 2.0 Flash Lite, for example, has low latency, while 2.0 Flash generates more detailed responses. Gemini’s newest models are 2.5 Flash and 2.5 Pro. My testing focuses on 2.5 Flash (Gemini’s default model) and 2.5 Pro.Plans and Pricing: The Best Value Chatbot
You can use Gemini for free, but premium plans unlock more features.
Free users get access to the 2.5 Flash model and limited access to the 2.5 Pro model. Voice mode, called Gemini Live, is freely available, and you also get limited use of deep research as well as Gems, Gemini’s take on custom AI assistants. Limited access to Gemini’s Whisk animation tool and 15GB of Google Drive cloud storage round out the offerings. As you might expect, premium plans expand usage limits and unlock more advanced models.
Premium plans include Google AI Pro ($19.99 per month) and Google AI Ultra ($249.99 per month). The AI Pro tier, for which a one-month trial is available, gives you higher usage limits across the board. It also unlocks the Flow filmmaking tool, Gemini in Google Chrome, and video generation via Gemini’s Veo 2 model, alongside a larger context window for processing more complex prompts. Google Drive cloud storage increases to 2TB with AI Pro, too. Finally, this plan includes Gemini integrations across Google Workspace apps, like Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, and more.
Gemini’s AI Ultra plan has everything in the AI Pro plan, but it increases usage limits even further and adds in a couple new features: 30TB of Google Drive cloud storage, early access to Gemini’s task-streamlining agent, exclusive access to Gemini’s upcoming 2.5 Pro Deep Think mode, Google’s latest Veo 3 video generation model, and YouTube Premium. Considering its prohibitive cost, though, I recommend AI Pro if you are interested in a premium Gemini plan. If you sign up for a Google One subscription, a service primarily focused on providing cloud storage through Google Drive, you can get Gemini AI Pro with more than 2TB of cloud storage, such as 5TB ($25 per month) or 10TB ($50 per month). For this review, I tested the AI Pro and AI Ultra tiers.
All three major chatbots, Copilot, ChatGPT, and Gemini, charge around $20 per month for their flagship premium plans. However, Gemini and Copilot stand out from ChatGPT in terms of value, since they integrate with Google and Microsoft 365 apps, respectively. ChatGPT doesn’t offer anything similar, focusing purely on chatbot functionality. Though Copilot Pro has some unique features, Gemini’s cloud storage stands out to me as the best tie-in of all the chatbot subscriptions.Where Is Gemini Available?
Gemini is accessible on the web and via mobile apps (Apple and Android). Google doesn’t offer a desktop app or an official browser extension, but Chrome has a Gemini integration (which I discuss later). As mentioned, you can use Gemini in Google apps such as Calendar, Docs, Drive, Gmail, Maps, Keep, Photos, Sheets, and YouTube Music.
Other services and sites use Gemini’s models, like Perplexity, but those aren’t part of the official Gemini package that Google develops, operates, and owns. You should expect to see Gemini’s models pop up in more places over time, too, like with Siri, which already can tap into ChatGPT. Stick with Google’s first-party apps or web client if you want Gemini’s full set of features.Ease of Use and Interface: It’s Simple to Get Started
Gemini doesn’t require an account, but you have to sign in to change models, use deep research, save your chats, and more, so I recommend doing so.
The interface is uncluttered, and your dashboard is pretty much just an Ask Gemini text field. Recent chats appear on the left-hand sidebar, and a drop-down menu at the top of the screen lets you change the model. Gemini puts clickable sample prompts above the central field to help give you an idea of what it can do, which I appreciate.
From your dashboard, you can ask Gemini anything, and responses are almost always quick, especially if they involve image generation. After you get a response, you can choose to copy, listen to, regenerate, or share it via buttons underneath the response. Responses sometimes hang, forcing you to ask your question again, but that happens with ChatGPT and Copilot, too. During my review, servers went down at one point, but they came back online quickly.
Recently, ChatGPT has had issues with being too friendly, but that’s not the case with Gemini. Whereas ChatGPT is more conversational, Gemini is more direct and a bit stiffer. Unlike with ChatGPT, you can’t personalize Gemini’s tone to your liking, but you can save certain information about yourself that Gemini will always remember. ChatGPT is sometimes annoying, but I generally prefer its tone over Gemini’s.
Gemini can remember your past chats, so you can always pick up where you left off (even if you start a different chat). Copilot can remember certain things you tell it, but ChatGPT and Gemini have much more robust memory, which makes for a more satisfying chatting experience.
One of Gemini’s newest additions is Project Mariner, which is exclusive to AI Ultra users. Mariner is an AI Assistant that does tasks for you, such as finding jobs or locating an apartment. When you give Mariner a task, a window appears where you can watch Mariner complete the task. In my case, I watched Mariner search for jobs on an instance of Google Chrome. However, the first result it selected was Indeed, which presented it with a Cloudflare verification that it could not pass, even when I took control. Google calls Project Mariner a “research prototype,” and it clearly needs to work out some kinks before fully launching it.Voice Chat: Relatively Lifelike
On the web interface, the microphone icon to the right of the text field enables speech-to-text input, but that’s not the same as Gemini’s voice mode, Gemini Live. Like ChatGPT’s voice mode or Copilot Voice, you can choose between different lifelike voices and simply talk to Gemini naturally. Currently, Gemini Live is available only on Gemini’s mobile apps, meaning you can’t use it on a desktop.
Gemini Live supports both camera and screen sharing, so you can talk to it about something happening on your phone or whatever is in front of you in real life. This functionality is as good as Gemini’s image recognition capabilities, which are generally competent, so the feature can be useful. However, you could simply send a Gemini a picture alongside a question, making it more of a time-saver than anything else.
Gemini’s voices sound reasonably human, and I didn’t experience any distortion in testing, but they still don’t quite escape the uncanny valley territory. Their cadence and intonation are just robotic enough that you never feel like you’re talking to a real person, but they’re close enough to be a good approximation. This puts Gemini Live roughly on par with ChatGPT and Copilot, and behind dedicated AI voice services, such as Sesame.Web Search: Competent Responses
Searching the web is a feature of all mainstream chatbots. Accordingly, Gemini, ChatGPT, and Copilot all had no trouble answering questions about current events at the time of testing, like who the current pope is or why people are talking about the latest episode of «The Rehearsal.» However, some questions stump the chatbots, like when I asked what Warframe’s weekly Incarnon weapon rotation was. This doesn’t happen all that often, though.
All the chatbots answered most questions correctly. Gemini’s and Copilot’s responses were very short and to the point, whereas ChatGPT provided more information. Gemini and ChatGPT both have source icons you can hover your cursor over to pop out connected articles that highlight portions of the response. However, I prefer ChatGPT’s interface, which shows the name of the source in its icons and pops out the full title of the article.
I also appreciate how ChatGPT provides pictures in responses, like of the current pope, when relevant. Gemini can show images in its responses, but you need to ask it to do so. ChatGPT shows you related article tiles (with pictures) at the bottom of its responses, too, which makes learning more about a topic easy and intuitive.AI Mode and Shopping
You can search the web with AI Mode on Google’s regular search page, which Gemini powers. This experimental feature puts an AI Mode button on the right side of Google’s search field, and clicking it opens a new interface where you can ask questions you want Gemini to answer based on web results. Answers are, as expected, in line with what you get by asking Gemini directly, but I prefer some elements of the AI mode interface.
For one, related article tiles populate on the right, and AI Mode includes relevant pictures in responses like ChatGPT. It also only takes a single click to pull up a Google search or image search of your query, which is convenient. However, sources are limited to clickable marks at the end of sentences that don’t pop out connected articles when you hover over them or highlight portions of the response.
Like ChatGPT, Gemini can help you shop.
