What Happened to Bard & Duet AI? A Guide to the Gemini Era

Since OpenAI’s ChatGPT came on the scene, research and development in this field has been moving at a lightning-fast pace. So, it’s no surprise that one of the largest tech companies in the world, Google, is at the forefront.

Google’s investment in AI is nothing new. In fact, they’ve been using it for years. Regardless, their growing focus on streamlining AI services for both developers and end-users alike is worth noting. 

In February, Google introduced changes to their AI product lineup that could potentially reshape how organizations leverage AI capabilities. This guide will give you an overview of “The Gemini Era”  and what Gemini by Google means for your company’s cloud environment and digital transformation.

What Happened to Duet AI & Bard?

In the landscape of AI solutions, Google's Bard and Duet AI both held distinct positions. Released in March 2023, Bard emerged as Google's foray into the conversational AI space, providing a large language model that could generate contextually relevant text and echoing the capabilities of tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT. 

Several months later, Google also released Duet AI, a generative AI tool designed to streamline various content creation workflows. The tool integrated with both Google Workspace and Google Cloud, providing writing support, coding assistance, image generation, and more. 

Now, as Google continues to refine its AI strategy, they have chosen to bring Bard and Duet AI under the same product umbrella, known collectively as Gemini. This change represents a strategic move by Google to unify its AI products, with a goal to provide a more cohesive suite of tools for developers and casual users alike.

We have to emphasize that the key functionalities of Bard and Duet AI will not change with this transition. The core capabilities that users have come to rely on — Bard's conversational AI and Duet AI's generative capabilities — are being preserved within Gemini. But what changes is the branding and the interface through which these services are accessed.

What Exactly Is Gemini?

Integrating the best of Bard and Duet AI was a great idea on Google’s part. Now, Gemini provides a comprehensive solution that caters to the needs of diverse end users equally. Let’s run through some of its capabilities.

Coding & Development Support

The legacy of Duet AI is evident in Gemini's robust coding assistance capabilities. As a development support tool, it accelerates the coding process by offering suggestions for code completion, debugging, and real-time collaboration. 

Developers can rely on Gemini to enhance their productivity so that they can focus on the more complex problem-solving aspects of their projects.

Content Creation & Information Retrieval

Incorporating both Duet AI and Bard's strengths, Gemini serves as an intelligent creation assistant, great at generating textual content, brainstorming ideas, and processing vast amounts of information to deliver concise and valuable insights. 

Whether you are looking to create high-quality content or seeking a deeper understanding of complex datasets, Gemini's AI capabilities are designed to streamline either of these tasks.

Integration with Google Workspace

Gemini's integration within Google Workspace is probably one of the most welcome features, providing us with advanced tools to improve productivity and creativity. 

Some of the ways you can leverage Gemini within Workspace include:

• Gmail: Refine the quality of your emails with Gemini’s suggestions for more professional communication.
• Google Docs: Draft and proofread documents more efficiently by using Gemini to assist with grammar checks and stylistic improvements.
• Google Slides: Generate images and enhance presentations with Gemini's creative input.
• Google Sheets: Create detailed project plans with Gemini's guidance and tap into the AI's ability to analyze data and forecast trends.
• Google Meet: Enhance your video meetings with studio-quality looks and custom backgrounds, while also benefiting from live translated captions for inclusive, cross-language communication.

Standalone Chat Experience

Beyond its integration with Google Workspace, Gemini still offers the classic standalone chat experience we’ve all come to know and love from Bard, accessible via gemini.google.com. 

Utilizing Google's 1.0 Ultra model, it ensures enterprise-grade data protections and admin controls, allowing you to engage directly with the AI in a secure environment. It isn’t exactly tailor-made for enterprise use, but it makes a great starting point for further exploration.

Entering the Gemini Era 

With AI becoming a larger part of almost every organization’s digital transformation, learning how to make the most out of Gemini is paramount. With the right expertise and guidance, you can use this new technology to dramatically improve your team’s productivity and streamline your Workspace processes.

Promevo is your source for guidance in all things Google. And as a dedicated Google partner, our professionals are ready to help you with everything from integrating Gemini into your workflow to optimizing your Cloud and digital transformation around this new technology.

Contact us today to learn more about leveraging Gemini to take your Google Cloud and Workspace to the next level.