Gemini Advanced: Google launches subscription-based AI chatbot and app

Priced at $19.99 per month, Gemini Advanced gives users access to Google's most powerful AI model to date

Google on Thursday unveiled its latest advancement in AI with the launch of Gemini Advanced, a chatbot only accessible through a subscription to Google One's new tier, the AI Premium plan.

The move signifies Google's commitment to staying competitive in the AI landscape, as it aims to rival the capabilities of OpenAI's ChatGPT-4.

"Today we're launching Gemini Advanced — a new experience that gives you access to Ultra 1.0, our largest and most capable state-of-the-art AI model," the company said in a blog post.

"In blind evaluations with our third-party raters, Gemini Advanced with Ultra 1.0 is now the most preferred chatbot compared to leading alternatives."

When Google launched Bard in March 2023, it used a large language model called LaMDA as its engine. By May 2023, Google enhanced Bard by integrating the PaLM 2 language model. Subsequently, in December, Google further upgraded Bard to operate on its Gemini Pro AI model.

Bard has been renamed Gemini.

Until now, users were limited to the Pro version of the Gemini model, but with Gemini Advanced, priced at $19.99 per month, they can access the full potential of Google's most powerful AI model to date.

Gemini Advanced boasts a plethora of features catering to diverse user needs, Google claims.

From serving as a personalised academic tutor to assisting with coding tasks, this AI model offers methodical instructions, sample quizzes and coding support, including generating, analysing, editing and debugging complex code.

Content creators stand to benefit significantly from Gemini Advanced, the company says, as it can generate content, analyse trends, and offer creative ideas and inspiration for engagement, making it a valuable tool in the digital content landscape.

Similar to ChatGPT-4, Gemini Advanced supports multimodal interactions, allowing users to upload images, browse the web, and generate images using Google's Imagen 2 model. Additionally, conversation history is retained, enabling users to revisit previous interactions - a feature akin to ChatGPT-4's functionality.

Both the free version of Gemini (now operating on the Gemini Pro model) and Gemini Advanced will be accessible via the official website and the Android app.

For iOS users, access to the AI assistant is available through the Google app.

"Gemini Advanced is available as part of our brand new Google One AI Premium Plan for $19.99/month, starting with a two-month trial at no cost," says Google.

"This plan gives you the best of Google AI and our latest advancements, along with all the benefits of the existing Google One Premium plan, such as 2TB of storage."

To access the upgraded paid version of Gemini, users must be logged into their Google account, where they can upgrade to Gemini Advanced via the app's settings.

Android users have the option of the Gemini app available in the Google Play Store.

Google's ambitious roadmap for Gemini Advanced extends beyond chatbot interactions. Integration with Gmail and Google Docs is on the horizon, the aim to enhance productivity and streamline tasks like email management.

Gemini Advanced is now available in over 150 countries and territories in English, with plans to expand language support in the future.