Google has made a significant move in the AI chatbot market by rebranding its AI Bard chatbot as Gemini, offering a paid subscription service to its users. This move is seen as a direct challenge to Microsoft, as Google aims to compete for subscribers in the AI subscription market. The new service, known as Gemini Advanced, will cost US consumers $19.99 per month and will provide access to the more powerful Ultra 1.0 AI model.
In addition to the AI model, subscribers will also receive two terabytes of cloud storage, a value of $9.99 monthly, and will soon have access to Gemini in Gmail and Google’s productivity suite. This new offering, called the Google One AI Premium plan, is a strategic move by Google to take on Microsoft and its partner OpenAI in the increasingly competitive AI subscription market. It follows the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus last year and Microsoft’s recent announcement of a similar subscription for AI in programs like Word and Excel, both priced at $20 per month in the United States.
According to Product Lead Jack Krawczyk, Google’s subscription offering is designed to seamlessly integrate with users’ workflows, with cloud storage, Gmail, and other integrations enhancing the overall value proposition. This is a strategic move to attract users who require advanced generative AI technology capable of generating content on demand and handling queries without obvious online answers.
Gemini Advanced is initially available in English across 150 countries, with a two-month subscription trial offered to users at no cost. The rollout will expand internationally, starting with the Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and other regions, with additional language support in Japanese and Korean.
Explaining the name change, Krawczyk highlighted Google’s evolving AI strategy, stating that the rebranding marks the transition from the Bard era to the Gemini era.
In my opinion, Google’s move to rebrand its AI chatbot and offer a paid subscription service is a bold and strategic move. The AI subscription market is becoming increasingly competitive, and Google’s initiative to offer a powerful AI model alongside cloud storage and integration with other platforms is a smart strategy to attract and retain subscribers. With the increasing demand for advanced generative AI technology, Google’s move to offer Gemini Advanced as a premium service shows its commitment to meeting the needs of users who require such advanced capabilities. It will be interesting to see how this move will impact the competition with Microsoft and other players in the AI subscription market, and how users will respond to the new offering.