by Florian Callens
published on Thursday May 2, 2024 to 18:48 •
3 min read
Google makes it a lot easier to communicate with its AI tool Gemini. The chatbot can now be used directly via the address bar of Google Chrome. In addition, Google is also expanding the availability of the Gemini app to more than 100 new countries.
To use Gemini via Chrome, simply type “@gemini” followed by your question in the address bar. After pressing enter, Gemini opens and immediately shows you the answer to your question. The feature is brand new and not yet available to everyone, but Google will roll out the update in the near future.
Expansion to more countries
In addition to the Chrome integration, Google is expanding the availability of the Gemini app to more than 100 new countries. This brings the total number of countries where Gemini is available to more than 150. In all these countries, Gemini can be used via the Google Assistant.
Unfortunately, the Gemini app is not yet available in the European Union, including Belgium. This is due to the EU’s strict laws on disinformation and the protection of the privacy of users and their data. Google says it is working to bring the app to the EU as soon as possible. In the EU, Gemini can be used online via the website.
What is Gemini?
Although ChatGPT is still the most well-known AI tool, Google has had serious competition with its chatbot Gemini for some time now. However, its launch was not without problems. The original version, called Bard, did not meet expectations, so a new version was released in February 2024, which was immediately named Gemini.
There were also initial problems with this launch. Gemini turned out to be a bit too “woke”. In an effort to break stereotypes, Gemini was trained to embrace diversity. Unfortunately, this turned out to be going a bit too far. For example, a search for “a US senator from 1800” resulted in images of black women and Native Americans, while a query for a “German soldier from 1943” resulted in images of a black man and an Asian woman.
