Bard is now known as Gemini, with a mobile app and an Advanced experience that gives you access to our most capable AI model, Ultra 1.0.
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. In blind evaluations with our third-party raters, Gemini Advanced with Ultra 1.0 is now the most preferred chatbot compared to leading alternatives.
With our Ultra 1.0 model, Gemini Advanced is far more capable at highly complex tasks like coding, logical reasoning, following nuanced instructions and collaborating on creative projects. Gemini Advanced not only allows you to have longer, more detailed conversations; it also better understands the context from your previous prompts.
That's not surprising considering GPT 4 is still paid as well. At least OpenAI gives pay-as-you-go API access, which is significantly cheaper for my use cases than their $20/mo standard price.
It is surprising from a competitive perspective though in that Google is behind already, so putting it behind a pay wall doesn't help with that.
When you're the size of Google surely you make it as free as possible and lose some money to gain marketshare back.
Why the fuck would I pay for Gemini which I've basically never heard of vs. GPT 4 which for better or worse is considered the coming of the new AI revolution.
Also GPT 4 is easily accessible for free for most people via the Bing app, so not like you have to pay for general use.
I'm kind of baffled how frequently Bard refuses to help at all. I can copy and paste the same exact prompt into ChatGPT and get a fairly good response. But fairly regularly Bard will start to give a reply and then just stop halfway through and be like "I can't help you."
It looks like Google actually listened to everyone who mocked the confusing Bard / Gemini branding. Unifying everything under one name makes way more sense.
I guess I'm not hip, but I had never heard of Gemini before now, so it's sort of weird change for me, but whatever. As long as it satisfies my need for Harry Potter, Shrek, and Worf threesome romance fanfiction, that's all I need.