Google Bard Coming to Canada ‘Soon’; Gemini AI Model Unveiled

Google has unveiled Gemini on Wednesday, a highly sophisticated AI model featuring multimodal reasoning capabilities, set to significantly upgrade its Bard chatbot service (that’s not available in Canada).

Gemini, designed in three variants – Ultra, Pro, and Nano – caters to diverse platforms from data centres to mobile devices. The initial phase of Gemini’s integration into Bard involves the deployment of a customized version of Gemini Pro, enhancing Bard’s English language services with advanced reasoning and understanding.

“Now, Gemini is coming to Bard in Bard’s biggest upgrade yet,” said Sissie Hsiao, Vice President and General Manager at Google Assistant and Bard. This upgrade includes enhanced functionalities in understanding, summarizing, reasoning, coding, and planning.

Benchmark tests have shown Gemini Pro’s superiority over OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 in key industry standards, including MMLU and GSM8K. Additionally, blind evaluations by third-party raters rank Bard with Gemini Pro as the top free chatbot, surpassing other leading alternatives including OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Google collaborated with YouTuber Mark Rober, demonstrating Gemini Pro’s capabilities in assisting with creative tasks like designing an accurate paper airplane. This test flight showcased Gemini Pro’s practical applications.

Gemini is also coming to Pixel, starting with the Pixel 8 Pro. Soon, Gemini will also debut in Search, Ads, Chrome and Duet AI.

Gemini Pro is currently available for text-based prompts in English across over 170 countries, with plans for expansion to other languages and modalities.

Of course, Canada is still left out in the cold still, along with Europe. But there’s hope because a Google spokesperson told iPhone in Canada, “We’re enthusiastic about bringing Bard’s generative AI potential to Canadians soon.”

“As we continue to build Bard responsibly, we’re expanding access to more countries and regions in multiple languages. We’re committed to being good partners as we work through regulatory uncertainty in Canada, and we’re looking forward to providing an update to Canadians on the availability of Bard soon,” said Google in a statement to iPhone in Canada.

The next phase will introduce Bard Advanced with Gemini Ultra, targeting early next year. Gemini Ultra is designed for highly complex tasks and will be accessible through Bard Advanced, offering advanced AI experiences.

Google emphasizes safety and user feedback in Bard’s development, adhering to their AI Principles. This includes features like Bard’s “Google it” button for answer verification.

If you want to try Google Bard today in Canada, all you need to do is use a VPN and change your location to the USA. Then you can experience the new chatbot’s smarts.