Getting Started With Google Gemini: A Beginner’s Guide

Google Gemini, a large language model (LLM) that outperforms OpenAI’s GPT-4 in many benchmarks, has been available in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region since February 2024. This guide is aimed at those who have yet to try it as well as those who are currently wondering whether they should cancel their ChatGPT subscription in its favor. We provide a comprehensive overview of its capabilities and a brief comparison with its biggest rival.

What Is Google Gemini?

Born from the evolution of Google’s AI initiatives, Gemini, formerly known as Bard, is a state-of-the-art chatbot developed by Google. This LLM initiative was Google’s answer to the fast-rising popularity of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Gemini brings to the table a suite of capabilities we’ve come to expect from large language models:

• Multi-Modal Understanding: Gemini is natively multi-modal, meaning it can understand, operate across, and combine different types of information including text, code, audio, image, and video.
• Sophisticated Reasoning: Gemini’s reasoning capabilities enable it to think more carefully before answering difficult questions, leading to significant improvements over just using its first impression. This is particularly useful in fields requiring complex problem-solving abilities.
• Advanced Coding: Gemini can understand, explain, and generate high-quality code in over 20 programming languages. It excels in coding benchmarks, making it a powerful tool for developers.
• Multi-Language Support: Gemini’s translation abilities and its support for numerous languages help break down communication barriers. This is especially valuable in a globalized world, making both work and personal interactions potentially smoother.
• State-Of-The-Art Performance: Gemini Ultra (used in Gemini Advanced) has outperformed human experts on the MMLU benchmark, a massive multitask language understanding test, scoring 90.0%. It exceeds current state-of-the-art results on 30 of the 32 widely-used academic benchmarks.

While Gemini was introduced with the ability to generate images through Google Brain’s Imagen 2 text-to-image model, these image generation capabilities are currently disabled because the feature created a controversy after flooding the internet with historically inaccurate, racially-biased images.

Google Gemini Availability

Currently, Gemini supports more than 40 languages, including Arabic, Farsi, and Turkish, among others, and extends its reach to over 230 countries and territories, with Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Tunisia all being on the list.

Besides the standard version of Gemini, which uses Google’s Pro 1.0 model, there’s also Gemini Advanced, which is based on the Ultra 1.0 model. This more sophisticated version of the LLM is available in more than 150 countries and territories in English. Again, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Tunisia are all supported. Unfortunately, Gemini Advanced is optimized only for English, so its responses in other languages can be a hit or miss.

How To Use Google Gemini?

Getting started with Google Gemini, whether on desktop or mobile, is a straightforward process:

On Desktop:

1- Visit The Gemini Website: You can find it at gemini.google.com.

2- Sign In: Click on the Sign in If you have an existing Google account and are older than 18 years, then you can simply use it to sign in. If you don’t have one already, this is the time to create it.

3- Accept The Terms Of Service: Read and accept Google Gemini’s Terms of Service by clicking more, followed by I agree on the subsequent page.

4- Start Using Gemini: After clicking Continue, you will be directed to the Gemini page.

5- Message Gemini: Type your question or search term into the search box and press enter. Await Gemini’s response, which will be generated based on the input provided.

On Mobile:

• Android: As an Android user, you can download the Google Gemini app from the Play Store, or you can use the mobile version of the gemini.google.com website.
• iOS: Unfortunately, there’s currently no dedicated Google Gemini app for iOS, but there’s a Gemini tab will appear at the top of the Google app.

Top Tips For Google Gemini Beginners

One of the biggest advantages of conversational AI systems like Gemini is their intuitiveness. You can literally just start asking questions and issuing commands, and Gemini will do its best to understand and respond appropriately. However, to truly harness the power of Google Gemini, especially if you’re just starting out, it’s important to keep a few key tips in mind:

• Double-Check Information: Click the Google icon below any response from Gemini. This feature allows you to quickly verify the accuracy of the information provided using Google Search.
• Provide Feedback: Use the thumbs up or down icons to give feedback on Gemini’s responses. This simple action helps Gemini learn from your preferences, continually improving the accuracy and relevance of its future replies.
• Listen To Responses: For those who prefer auditory learning or simply wish to hear the information, click the speaker icon at the top of a response. This feature converts text to speech, allowing you to listen to Gemini’s replies.
• Leverage Multi-Modality: If you’re stuck explaining something in words, try supplementing your query with an image or reference a piece of code. Gemini’s understanding of different input types can lead to more nuanced assistance.
• Break Down Complex Tasks If you have a complicated problem, try breaking it into smaller, sequential steps. Gemini can assist with each stage, making the whole process more manageable.
• Experiment With Prompts: Don’t be afraid to rephrase questions or provide additional context to guide Gemini in different directions. You may be surprised by the insights you uncover through a slight change in wording.

ChatGPT vs Google Gemini: Which Is Better For MENA Users?

With both Google Gemini and ChatGPT being available in the MENA region, users have unprecedented access to some of the most advanced AI chatbot technologies. Deciding which platform best suits your needs depends on various factors, including pricing, features, and how well each integrates into your daily digital routine. Here’s a breakdown to help you make an informed decision:

Gemini presents a compelling option for users deeply embedded in Google’s ecosystem or those looking for a value-packed subscription. With the Google One AI Premium plan, you can enjoy access to Gemini Advanced and 2 TB of cloud storage space for use across Google’s suite of products, which includes Gmail, Google Docs, and more. Best of all, you can currently get two months of the Google One AI Premium plan for free, so there’s no reason to not give it a try.

On the other hand, ChatGPT shines with its extensive feature set, especially with DALL-E for image generation and the ability to create and train custom GPTs. Despite what artificial LLM performance benchmarks say, ChatGPT’s answers are typically more accurate and relevant than Gemini’s, but they do take longer to generate, and there’s a fairly strict usage limit (40 messages every 3 hours). Unfortunately, OpenAI doesn’t offer a free trial version of its ChatGPT Plus plan, but you can play with the free version of ChatGPT without any limitations.

Conclusion

Google Gemini is a fascinating addition to the world of conversational AI, and it’s already available to users across the MENA region. With its advanced capabilities — from multi-modal understanding to sophisticated reasoning and multi-language support — it presents a good alternative to ChatGPT for those in the Google ecosystem as well as those who have a need for another AI companion in their.