Google’s Gemini Signals the Real Start of the Generative AI Boom

Google recently released Gemini, a powerful new AI model that represents a major advance in generative AI. This launch signals that the current boom in AI is just getting started, as companies like Google and OpenAI work on radical new approaches beyond simply scaling up existing models.

Gemini Goes Beyond Text to Images, Audio and Video

Gemini is a “multimodal” AI model, meaning it can learn from data beyond just text. It also ingests insights from images, audio and video. This allows Gemini to understand the physical world better than text-based models like ChatGPT.

While ChatGPT shows how impressive AI can be with enough text data, there’s only so much these models can learn about reality from text alone. Gemini points towards AI that can perceive the world more like humans do.

Fresh Competition for ChatGPT and GPT-4

Gemini is fresh competition for ChatGPT, which took the world by storm when it launched in November 2022. It showed surprising versatility at tasks like writing poetry and answering coding problems.

OpenAI has continued advancing with GPT-4, but Gemini demonstrates Google aims to push AI even further. Though competitors, both companies agree new approaches beyond giant text models are needed to make significant progress.

Radical Ideas Needed to Move Beyond "Era of Giant Models"

OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman declared recently "we're at the end of the era where it's going to be these, like, giant, giant models."

Google's Gemini shows pursuit of radically different AI that combines modalities like vision and language. OpenAI's mysterious Project Q* also suggests they're going beyond merely scaling up GPT-4.

The last year has been huge for AI, but moves by industry leaders suggest the boom is just beginning. As they explore ideas like multimodal learning, 2023 and beyond may take AI in extraordinarily new directions.

Hot Take

Google's Gemini launch makes clear the AI revolution is still in its early days. Companies are rapidly innovating to take AI beyond today's oversized text bots into new modalities like computer vision and audio processing. This next wave of AI could soon power technologies that understand and interact with the world on a far more human level.