My Early Thoughts on Google Gemini Advanced

I have to admit, I like the name change. Ditching “Bard” for “Gemini” is a smart move by Google. It feels more techy, powerful, and a little mysterious, which suits the whole vibe of cutting-edge AI. Plus, let’s be honest, with an upgrade as massive as the shift to Gemini Advanced, a fresh name was absolutely needed.

Speaking of which, it comes with a relatively hefty subscription cost, but thankfully, there’s a free trial period to tempt potential users. That tells me Google believes they have something special on their hands.

The AI language model competition is heating up in a big way. Just when we thought ChatGPT had blown the doors wide open, Google strikes back with a contender that seems poised to shake things up. The true test for Google’s AI system will be how it evolves over time, and thankfully, that free trial lets us all dive in.

Let me make this clear from the start, these are just initial impressions. As anyone who plays with these language models knows, they evolve at a mind-bending pace, so what seems true today could be old news tomorrow. But with that disclaimer out of the way, let’s look into my hands-on experience with Google Gemini Advanced!

Absolutely! Here’s the “Testing Out Gemini Advanced” section based on your outline, written to keep the reader engaged:

Table of Contents

Testing Out Gemini Advanced

Alright, enough introductions and speculation—let’s put Gemini Advanced to the test! As a web developer, I always appreciate a tool that can streamline tasks, so I figured I’d throw a practical request its way.

First up: “Hey Gemini, can you create a sample HTML and CSS code for a basic portfolio website?” I figured starting with a clear structure would let me judge its coding abilities. Sure enough, Gemini churned out code with clear comments and formatting. Not groundbreaking, as these code snippets are commonplace online, but it passed solidly on the fundamentals.

Then came the more interesting task: “Now, generate some image ideas for the site’s different sections like the header, gallery, and ‘about me’.” This is where I became quite interested. It wasn’t groundbreaking graphic design, but it demonstrated an understanding of how visuals enhance web concepts. It could save serious time if I need rough placeholders while brainstorming website layouts.

Emboldened by its potential, I decided to go a little experimental. A while back, I generated an interesting car art piece using Midjourney. Could Gemini Advanced recreate something similar with just an image reference? I uploaded the image from Midjourney and added, “Create a car illustration in this style.” The result wasn’t an exact stylistic match, but considering the complexity of replicating artistic style from another AI, it was okay.

But what else can it do? I asked for a flat design illustration of an airplane. Boom, there it was – clean, cartoony, perfectly usable for a children’s website or app.

A quick follow-up test though: “Create a realistic portrait photo of a 22 year old woman.” For my complete disappoinment, Gemini outright refused my request.

Gemini Advanced refuses to generate images

I found this extremely limiting compared to other current AI art generators, but I also acknowledge Gemini’s likely safeguards around creating human images. The ethical lines here are undoubtedly blurry.

From my initial experimentations, Gemini Advanced seems capable of understanding and responding to simple prompts with relative ease. Whether it maintains this level of quality and accuracy when navigating more complex, nuanced tasks is a question I haven’t had the opportunity to explore deeply yet. That’s on the agenda for my next session with Gemini!

Gemini Advanced vs. ChatGPT: The Evolving Face-Off

Having previously been a ChatGPT Plus subscriber, I can’t confidently say Gemini Advanced pulls definitively ahead. However, it doesn’t feel like it’s behind either. This highlights an important fact: generative AI is not a monolith.

It’s inevitable – as new AI language models hit the scene, comparisons to their predecessors are bound to happen! Let’s take a moment to consider how Gemini Advanced stacks up against OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT. Just a note: these are my early impressions, and as their capabilities rapidly change, what feels true today might not hold down the road.

Text Generation: Both systems demonstrate an impressive level of creativity and adaptability when it comes to text-based outputs. But, I’ve noticed ChatGPT has a wider stylistic range, more willingness to write playful poems, fictional dialog, or even scripts. Gemini seems slightly more serious, favoring clear, informative answers when given the same types of prompts.
Factual Accuracy: Gemini Advanced, backed by Google Search integration, tends to prioritize providing verifiable information. For fact-based queries, I’d give it a slight edge over ChatGPT, which on occasion has a tendency to confidently invent information as a response.
File Formats: This is a stark difference. Gemini Advanced currently accepts image uploads while providing tools for further image manipulation. That opens up fascinating potential for interactive design workflows and image analysis. ChatGPT remains purely text-based.

These are just initial observations, and a thorough head-to-head comparison could easily be its own separate article. In the meantime, it seems your choice largely depends on your most common use case.

For pure text output with a penchant for the creative, ChatGPT still excels. If you need your AI to analyze visuals, offer accurate summaries on real-world topics, and you can live with a less whimsical tone, Gemini Advanced is the clear winner for right now.

Final Thoughts

It’s official – Google is squarely back in the AI language model race. Gemini Advanced presents itself as a worthy challenger to industry trailblazers like ChatGPT. The image generation and search integration features alone have the potential to fundamentally shift how we use AI tools in everything from creative work to educational purposes.

The free trial was a smart play on Google’s part, inviting curiosity and experimentation. Though Gemini doesn’t come cheap, this initial taste might convince a whole swath of users that its capabilities warrant the recurring cost. Whether or not it dethrones ChatGPT is yet to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: the rapid strides in this field aren’t slowing down.

While this is where my exploration with Gemini Advanced winds down for now, it certainly won’t be the last you hear from me on this topic. AI language models are constantly evolving, and as Gemini gains new features, as competitors iterate, it’ll be fascinating to see how this new technology transforms the way we interact with the world around us.