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Google’s products and services have earned a reputation for being confusing over the years, and the company’s Gemini AI project is no exception. Like Google Meet, which stands on the shoulders of Google Duo and Hangouts, the term Gemini can refer to different things depending on the context. For example, many recent smartphones like the Pixel 8 series and Galaxy S24 advertise having Gemini on board, but that’s not quite the same as the Gemini chatbot, which you can access through an app or browser.

With so many different Google products and services bearing the Gemini title, we think it’s worth taking a step back and decoding what it all means.

Gemini refers to Google’s chatbot and family of large language models (LLM) — two different things, but still closely related. The chatbot aspect is relatively easy to understand – think of it as an internal alternative to Google ChatGPT.

The Gemini chatbot can answer questions, search for information on the Internet, generate images, and more. These capabilities derive from the underlying large AI language model, also called Gemini. It’s not a single, monolithic LLM, though—Gemini is a family of large language models and currently comes in three sizes: Nano, Pro, and Ultra.

Put another way, Gemini is analogous not only to ChatGPT, but also to the GPT family of language models. Google confusingly uses the same name for both products, so you’ll often have to guess the meaning from the context.

For example, when the search giant advertises Gemini on its Pixel smartphones, it’s a reference to the language model. However, you can’t directly chat with Gemini on the Pixel, at least not yet. Instead, the phone uses the AI ​​model for features like Smart Reply. We’ve compiled a list of Gemini-powered features available on the Pixel 8 in case you want to know more.

Google often mentions Gemini in its chatbot form as well, which is how most people recognize it. The chatbot is designed to replace Google Assistant on Android, meaning you can use Gemini to control your smart home, find cheap flights, and everything in between. However, you can also access it through a web browser for a more traditional chatbot experience.

Basics aside, there’s still quite a bit more to Google’s AI project that isn’t immediately obvious. From Gemini “1.5 Pro” to the Gemini Advanced subscription, here’s everything you need to know about Google’s AI jargon.

1. Gemini Nano

Gemini Nano is the smallest language model in Google’s range. It is designed to be simple and efficient so that it can work directly on smartphones. As mentioned earlier, it powers multiple AI features on the device, such as Magic Compose and summaries in the Recorder app.

However, Gemini Nano does not offer a chatbot experience and you cannot communicate with it directly. The advantage is that all processing is done locally, so you don’t have to worry about sensitive data ever leaving your device.

2. Gemini Pro

Gemini Pro is the mid-sized language model that can handle a wider variety of tasks. In particular, it powers the default chatbot experience. When you visit gemini.google.com or use the smartphone app, it uses the Gemini Pro language model under the hood.

In terms of capabilities, Google claims that Gemini Pro is at least equal to OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 and even surpasses it in some cases.

3. Gemini Ultra

The Gemini Ultra is the largest model in the family and offers the highest level of performance as you would expect. It also requires the most computing power, so Google has locked it behind a $20 monthly subscription. More on this in a later section.

Continuing with the GPT analogy from earlier, Google’s Gemini Ultra rivals the state-of-the-art GPT-4 language model. However, it has since been replaced by the Gemini 1.5 Pro.

4. Gemini 1.5 Pro: Google’s latest flagship AI model

Just a few months after launching the Gemini in three sizes, Google followed it up with a next-generation model called the Gemini 1.5. The name signals a minor revision, similar to how OpenAI released its latest GPT-4o model as a modest upgrade to GPT-4.

According to Google, Gemini 1.5 Pro matches the capabilities of Gemini 1.0 Ultra. And since this is the mid-sized model in the 1.5 generation, we can only conclude that it is less computationally expensive per word.

After four sizes, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Gemini Advanced is another tongue model. However, Gemini Advanced actually refers to Google’s optional subscription that includes access to the most capable language model (1.5 Pro).

The $20 per month subscription might sound like a lot, but it includes other Google One benefits, like 2TB of cloud storage. You also get Gemini for a workspace and the ability to run Python code directly in chats. In our opinion, this is a generous offer, especially when you consider that neither ChatGPT Plus nor Copilot Pro offer additional cloud storage.

6. Gemini for workspace

Google Workspace is another somewhat confusing Google product, as it exists in consumer and enterprise versions. Gemini for Workspace is similar—it’s a different product depending on whether you’re a consumer, business owner, or large enterprise.

Focusing on the user-facing aspect of Gemini for Workspace, it’s essentially an AI-powered assistant in Google apps like Gmail, Docs, Slides, and Sheets. For example, you can ask Gemini to summarize an email in Gmail or create a table in Tables.

To access Gemini for Workspace, however, you will need a Gemini Advanced subscription (see above).

7. The Gemini AI image generator

Like rival chatbots, you can ask Google’s chatbot to create AI-generated art. The tool doesn’t have a name like Microsoft Designer or Midjourney — instead, Gemini relies on Google’s internal image generation model.

Gemini’s AI image generator is free, but only supports English prompts for now. It also does not work in the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland and the United Kingdom due to undisclosed regulatory reasons. Finally, the chatbot will also refuse to generate images related to sensitive topics, and I found that it will refuse to reproduce human features.

8. What languages ​​does Gemini support?

The Gemini chatbot supports 40 different languages. The list includes many of the world’s most spoken languages, ranging from Arabic to Japanese. However, not all features are available in these many languages. For example, the Gemini mobile app supports only 21 languages.

9. Gemini Availability: Supported Countries and Regions

In total, the Gemini chatbot is available in 230 countries, or essentially worldwide. However, some features like the mobile app are again limited depending on where you live. AI image generation won’t work in most of Europe, for example.

That’s all you need to know. We’ll update the above list when Google announces new Gemini-related features and terms, so bookmark this page and check back later!