As the digital winds of change continue to sweep across the online landscape, there's a groundbreaking transformation on the horizon for all Australian Google users.

Google, the world's leading search engine, is about to revolutionise how Australians use its services.

The tech giant is entering what it calls the 'Gemini era', a significant shift that will see the phasing out of Google Assistant in favour of a more advanced, generative AI platform called Gemini.

Google announced the ‘Gemini era’. Credit: @Google / Twitter

Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced the transition from the existing AI platform, ‘Bard’, to ‘Gemini’.

Starting mid-February, Australian Android users can switch from Google Assistant to Gemini, marking the most significant change to Google Assistant since its introduction in 2016. Apple iPhone users will also gain access to Gemini in the coming weeks.

Google Assistant, akin to Apple's Siri or Amazon Alexa, currently performs basic tasks and answers simple questions, such as turning smart lights on or off.

Gemini, however, will take this a step further by incorporating generative AI to fulfil tasks.

Users can ask Gemini to generate a custom image for a birthday invitation, create an Instagram caption for a photo, or answer questions about an article they're reading.

One of the most remarkable features of Gemini is its ability to access more context for questions.

For instance, you can photograph a flat tyre and ask Gemini what to do next. Gemini will know which photo you're referring to and respond accordingly.

This feature sets a new standard for smart assistants, pushing competitors like Apple and Amazon to keep up with the generative AI trend.

If people don't like the idea of AI creating things for them or their AI assistant looking at what they're doing on screen, they can just use the simple Google Assistant for now.

For users of Bard, a lot will be the same, except the website name will change to Gemini. Bard is like ChatGPT or Midjourney, where you give it a short message, and it makes writing or pictures based on that.

These announcements show that generative AI is becoming more integrated into our daily lives and becoming more common.

Google, being the largest search engine globally, and Google Assistant, a widely used smart assistant in Australia, contribute significantly to this trend, making generative AI more mainstream and accessible to people.

While observers say this change is set to redefine our interaction with technology, it also raises questions about the implications of AI on our daily lives.

Generative AI has been criticised for its inability to fact-check. Language Learning Models (LLMs), the foundation of generative AI, can generate human-like sentences but often fail to verify the accuracy of the information. This has led to some humorous in AI responses.

For one, if a user Googled, ‘Which countries in Africa start with a k?’, the top AI selected (and allegedly written) answer would say, ‘As of my last knowledge update in September 2021, there is no sovereign country in Africa whose name begins with the letter “K”.’

‘However, please note that situations can change over time, so it’s always a good idea to verify this information with more recent sources if needed.’

This was almost an improvement on the previously selected answer, ‘There are no countries in Africa that start with the letter “K”. The closest is Kenya, which starts with a “K” sound.’

You can watch Google’s video for Gemini below:

Credit: @Google / Twitter​

Another concern is the use of copyrighted content in training these AI models. Artists and media organisations worry that AI models trained on their work could potentially put them out of business.

The company behind ChatGPT, OpenAI, has acknowledged this issue.

‘Because copyright today covers virtually every sort of human expression—including blog posts, photographs, forum posts, scraps of software code, and government documents—it would be impossible to train today’s leading AI models without using copyrighted materials,’ OpenAI said.

2023 was the year of generative AI, and it took a massive shift in how we live as technological development, regulation, and social factors have shaped what’s possible.

Two digital media experts explained that people would see significant changes in four different areas of AI for 2024. You can learn more about these big changes here.

Key Takeaways

• Google is introducing its generative AI platform, Gemini, as a replacement for Google Assistant in Australia.
• Gemini will significantly expand the capabilities of the assistant, including tasks like generating custom images and providing context-based answers.
• Australian users on Android can opt-in to use Gemini starting mid-February, with iPhone users to follow in the coming weeks.
• Concerns have been raised regarding generative AI's ability to fact-check and the ethical use of copyrighted materials in AI training.

What are your thoughts on this shift towards Google Gemini? Have you had any experiences with Google Assistant or other AI platforms? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

 

[Abby2]

Just letting you know that Win8 is no longer microsoft supported so you arn't getting security patches and other beneficial support. Even Win10 loses support from late 2025.

My W 10 will not update to W11 , so figure ??
Should I buy Android or iPhone ??

 

[gamiry]

My W 10 will not update to W11 , so figure ??
Should I buy Android or iPhone ??

NEITHER. Remember how to speak to people face to face or on an ordinary phone.

 

[Abby2]

NEITHER. Remember how to speak to people face to face or on an ordinary phone.

Unfortunately NBN has taken over my landline phone and the copper wire which is prehistoric drops out when it rains

 

[IAN3005]

My W 10 will not update to W11 , so figure ??
Should I buy Android or iPhone ??

probably because your phone is outdated

 

[Mrtnst]

probably because your phone is outdated

@Abby2

I would be more inclined to suspect a water leak in the node.

When my mother was connected to a Fiber to the Node (FttN)- Copper to the Home (CttH) setup she had an old Australian Telecommunications Corporation approved phone (i.e. pre 1993) which worked fine

But when she replaced it with a new phone had loads of problems. Until NBN Co. Re-sealed the Node.

Remember that the older phones had to communicate over much greater distances than any CttH connection, and the Node drives the Fibre Optical signal.

 

[Abby2]

@Abby2

I would be more inclined to suspect a water leak in the node.

When my mother was connected to a Fiber to the Node (FttN)- Copper to the Home (CttH) setup she had an old Australian Telecommunications Corporation approved phone (i.e. pre 1993) which worked fine

But when she replaced it with a new phone had loads of problems. Until NBN Co. Re-sealed the Node.

Remember that the older phones had to communicate over much greater distances than any CttH connection, and the Node drives the Fibre Optical signal.

Unfortunately our node is 4 blocks away and old copper wires to the front of our property. For $6 thousand NBN will put a node in front of our property . Duh!!