Google Gemini (previously Google Bard) is the name of both Google’s AI models and the apps that we use to interface with them. With updates rolling out regularly, Gemini is Google’s answer to OpenAI ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, whatever it is that Apple is working on, and all the other generative AI tools now pushing for our attention.
If you’re wondering how to get started with Gemini or what it can do for you, these tips should help. You can access Gemini for free on the web as an extension of your Google account, with a more powerful Advanced tool available for $19.99 a month (with cloud storage and a few other goodies thrown in as well).
Every
time
you
give
Google
Gemini
a
prompt,
you
get
a
series
of
drafts
back
in
return,
though
only
one
is
shown
straight
away—you
can
click
the
Show
Drafts
button
up
in
the
top
right
corner
to
click
through
the
other
answer
variations
the
AI
has
produced.
Based
on
our
testing,
the
alternative
drafts
may
not
be
hugely
different
from
the
original,
depending
on
what
your
prompt
was
and
how
many
ways
there
are
to
answer
it.
You
can
also
get
Gemini
to
think
again
with
the
regenerate
button
(the
reload
sign)
on
the
far
right.
You
don’t
have
to
accept
Gemini’s
first
answer.
Also,
you
can
ask
it
to
regenerate
a
new
response
from
scratch
(by
clicking
Show
Drafts
and
then
the
reload
button
on
the
far
right).
You
can
also
click
the
modify
response
button
(the
three
sliders)
under
each
answer.
The
button
leads
to
a
new
menu,
where
your
options
are
Shorter,
Longer,
Simpler,
More
casual,
and
More
professional.
If
those
options
don’t
cover
the
modifications
you
want
to
make,
you
can
always
ask
for
changes
(like
“make
it
funnier”
with
your
next
prompt.
Every response can be quickly modified. Screenshot: Google Gemini
You
don’t
have
to
type
out
everything
you’d
like
to
say
to
Gemini—you
can
easily
paste
in
text
from
the
clipboard
and
other
programs.
You
can
then
have
that
text
rewritten
in
a
new
style,
summarized
to
a
certain
length,
or
analyzed
in
whatever
way
you
require.
When
it
comes
to
getting
text
out
of
Gemini,
the
simplest
method
is
the
Copy
option,
which
you’ll
find
behind
the
three
dots
at
the
end
of
every
answer.
You
can
then
paste
Gemini’s
response
into
a
web
form,
a
document,
an
email,
an
instant
message,
or
whatever
you
like.
At
the
time
we’re
writing
this,
Gemini’s
image
creation
capabilities
have
been
put
on
pause.
Presumably,
they’ll
come
back
at
some
point,
but
in
the
meantime,
you
can
still
upload
your
own
pictures
through
the
Gemini
web
interface
and
analyze
them.
This
works
best
for
finding
out
what’s
in
a
picture
or
summarizing
something,
but
you
can
ask
anything
you
want—you
can
even
request
tips
on
how
an
image
can
be
improved.
Think
of
it
as
an
upgraded
version
of
what
Google
Lens
can
do
with
images.
Gemini
makes
it
easy
to
share
your
conversations
with
others,
though
you
need
to
be
cautious
about
sharing
anything
with
personal
or
sensitive
information.
There’s
a
share
and
export
button
under
each
reply,
which
looks
like
a
less-than
sign.
From
the
menu
that
pops
up,
you’re
able
to
send
the
response
straight
to
Gmail
or
Google
Docs.
You
can
also
click
on
Share
to
create
a
public
link
to
either
the
individual
reply
or
the
entire
conversation,
a
link
which
you
can
then
share
wherever
you
like.
Every response can be publicly shared. Screenshot: Google Gemini
Gemini
follows
the
lead
of
many
other
Google
products
when
it
comes
to
managing
your
data,
as
you’ll
see
if
you
click
Activity
in
the
left-hand
navigation
pane.
You’ll
be
shown
recent
prompts
you’ve
entered,
together
with
options
for
managing
your
data.
Click
the
X
next
to
any
item
to
delete
it,
or
click
Delete
for
more
options
(like
deleting
the
last
hour
or
day
of
activity).
Click
Choose
an
auto-delete
option
to
have
your
data
wiped
automatically
after
a
certain
period,
or
Turn
off
to
stop
Gemini
from
gathering
data.
It
seems
likely
that
Google
Assistant
will
be
replaced
by
(or
maybe
merge
with)
Google
Gemini
sometime
in
the
future—but
while
we
wait
for
this
to
happen,
you
can
already
set
up
Google
Gemini
for
Android
as
your
default
digital
assistant
on
an
Android
handset.
Once
you’ve
installed
the
Gemini
app,
it’ll
automatically
take
the
place
of
Google
Assistant
in
most
cases
(when
you
say
“Hey
Google,”
for
example).
It’s
still
a
work
in
progress,
though,
and
it
may
get
help
from
Google
Assistant
when
needed
(for
setting
alarms,
for
example).
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