Gemini is now 20% faster than OpenAI's most advanced model
What's the story
Google has announced an upgrade to its AI-powered chatbot, Gemini, with the introduction of its fastest and most cost-efficient model yet, 1.5 Flash.
The tech giant has revealed that the new model is now accessible in over 40 languages across more than 230 countries and territories.
Google reports that the 1.5 Flash model is 20% faster than OpenAI's most advanced model, GPT-4o, and 40% faster than GPT-3.5, which previously powered ChatGPT.
Speed comparison
Gemini is best price-to-performance AI model in the market: Google
Introduced at Google I/O in May, the 1.5 Flash model was previously only available through a limited public preview and to developers via Google's API.
"It's the fastest model at the best price to performance option in the market," said Thomas Kurian, Google Cloud chief executive.
Amar Subramanya, VP of engineering for Gemini, also noted users will see "across-the-board improvements in quality and latency."
Improved performance
Enhanced features promised in the upgrade
The upgrade to the Gemini AI is designed to provide "quicker and more helpful responses," according to Google.
Users can expect noticeable enhancements in the chatbot's reasoning and image-processing capabilities.
The capacity for longer, more complex conversations has also been improved, thanks to a fourfold increase in its tokens — the smallest units of information an AI model processes such as a word or phrase.
Future enhancements
Google plans file upload feature for Gemini AI
In addition to the current improvements, Google has plans to further enhance the free version of Gemini by adding a file upload feature, which seems to be similar to ChatGPT.
This will allow users to upload files from Google Drive or their device directly into Gemini.
"That means you'll be able to do things like upload your economics study guide and ask Gemini to create practice questions," stated Google, outlining potential uses for this upcoming feature.
New features
Additional features to Gemini AI
Google is introducing more features to Gemini, including the display of links to related content for "fact-seeking prompts."
Users can access these links by clicking on a gray arrow at the end of a paragraph.
Additionally, Google will gradually roll out Gemini in Google Messages to users in the European Economic Area, UK, and Switzerland.
A version of Gemini for teens will be available in over 40 languages "in the coming week."