Google is reportedly set to virtually preview its generative AI competitor to ChatGPT, Gemini, as soon as this week, according to The Information Monday. The search giant hopes to catch OpenAI on its heels as the Microsoft-backed company recovers from its dramatic board kerfuffle along with the firing and re-hiring of Sam Altman.
Google delayed the launch of Gemini for some time now. Its generative AI chatbot promises to be significantly more powerful than its current offering, Bard, which has failed to take off with consumers like ChatGPT. Gemini presents a strong AI model from a stable company, which looks great against the backdrop of OpenAI, whose ChatGPT Plus signups remain paused, and the highly touted GPT Store is missing in action.
Gemini’s virtual preview this week, if true, could be a scaled-back version of a full launch that was originally planned for this week. CEO Sundar Pichai reportedly scrapped a series of in-person Gemini launch events set for early December. It appears Google found that Gemini was not reliably handling queries in non-English languages, according to The Information.
Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
A preview of Gemini would take some of the load off of Google, which has fumbled its lead in generative AI this year. The company is facing pressure from investors to release Gemini as quickly as possible to catch up with Microsoft and OpenAI, however, the full launch of Gemini will likely not occur until sometime in 2024.
Gemini is multi-modal, meaning that it can handle image, voice, and text requests simultaneously just like ChatGPT-4. The AI is built on a system that uses reinforcement learning, capable of planning and problem-solving, according to Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Deep Mind which is the company developing Gemini.