Google aims to position AI as the focal point of the complete Android ecosystem. To achieve this, the company has taken the initial step of rebranding Bard as Gemini, introducing a dedicated Gemini app, and offering the Gemini Advanced subscription plan.
Google has officially announced its decision to rebrand Bard as Gemini. In a recent closed-door announcement, the company confirmed that Google Bard will now be known as Gemini. As a result, the website bard.google.com has been changed to gemini.google.com. It is worth mentioning that Google is concerned about the potential confusion during the transition period, as Bard may still mistakenly identify itself as Bard for a few days.
It is not unexpected in the slightest, but the company aims for Gemini to play a significant role within the Android ecosystem. This fact became evident when Google relinquished the opportunity to exclusively provide Gemini AI on Pixel 8 devices, instead opting to share its features with the Galaxy S24 series. The intention behind this decision is to ensure that the Android ecosystem as a whole can reap the benefits of Gemini.
Currently, the primary objective of the company is to encourage a larger number of Android users to engage with Gemini, the chatbot. Additionally, it is possible that the company is covertly desiring for more users to transition from ChatGPT to Bard, or rather, Gemini.
In its quest to expand the reach of Gemini AI, Google was questioned about the possibility of its support on wearables. The idea of utilizing the AI chatbot on Android wearables intrigued many, but Google did not provide any specific information on this matter yet. Jack Krawczyk, Senior Director of Product Management for Gemini experiences, mentioned that the company’s current focus is on the Gemini app and aims to make it accessible to a wider user base. Similarly, when asked about the potential availability of the chatbot on feature phones in India, Google gave the same response.
Gemini vs ChatGPT
Although Google did not directly mention ChatGPT during the discussion, it appears that the introduction of Gemini is Google’s subtle response to the ChatGPT app. In recent weeks, Google has frequently compared its Bard chatbot to ChatGPT. Furthermore, similar to GPT-4, Google has recently introduced an Imagen-2 based image creator into the chatbot. Ultimately, the Gemini app, Gemini Advanced, and Google One AI Premium showcase Google’s efforts to integrate the AI tool more extensively into the Android ecosystem.