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In the battle of the AI chatbots, Google Gemini (formerly Bard) hasn’t yet caught on the way that OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot have. But that doesn’t mean Gemini isn’t worth trying.
With Gemini, you can speak your queries instead of typing them and hear the responses spoken aloud. Provide your location, and Gemini will direct you to nearby places and events. Ask Gemini to compose content, and it will provide several different drafts of text. Here’s how to access Gemini and what you should try first.
But First, a Warning
Before you dive into Gemini, be sure to understand its faults and limitations. Like any of today’s AI chatbots, Gemini is far from perfect. As Google points out, its responses may be inaccurate, reflect certain biases from its training—like how it generated historically inaccurate images—or make it seem as if the AI has personal opinions or feelings. It may even fail to respond or provide inappropriate answers.
Also be aware that Google has access to its user data, including your conversations, in order to evaluate and improve Gemini. In a support page, the company says that human reviewers will look at a random sampling of chats or portions of chats to assess their quality and determine if the responses are inaccurate, harmful, or of low quality. The chats reviewed are not associated with any specific user accounts but are retained for up to three years.
With Google’s review process in mind, avoid sharing any sensitive or confidential information as you chat with Gemini. Though your conversations may not end up being reviewed, act as if the details you provide in your requests will be seen by other people and not just by Gemini itself.
How to Access Google Gemini
To get started, open the Gemini website and log in with your Google account if you’re not already signed in. Click Try Gemini and agree to the terms of service. At the chat screen, Gemini suggests a few questions you can ask if you don’t have any of your own right now.
Select one of the sample questions and wait for the response. From here, you can continue to ask follow-up questions on the same topic. If you wish to segue to a different subject, click the New chat button at the top of the left sidebar. There are also a few ways you can improve Gemini’s responses to get more out of the AI chatbot.
1. Give the Response a Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down
You can rate the response served up by Gemini. Under the response, click the thumbs up icon if you liked it or the thumbs down icon if you disliked it. If you give a thumbs down, you’re asked to explain why you didn’t like the response. Type a specific reason and submit it.
2. Ask Gemini to Modify Its Response
Depending on your question and Gemini’s answer, you can tell the AI to modify a response. This is especially helpful if you ask Gemini to generate certain content. After submitting your request, go to the end of the response and click the Modify response button. Here, you can tell Gemini to alter the response to make it shorter, longer, simpler, more casual, or more professional.
3. Ask Gemini to Google It
Based on the response, you can ask follow-up questions on the same topic. Alternatively, click the Google icon to double-check the response, and Gemini will highlight specific details. You can then click the highlighted text and visit an online source.
4. View Other Drafts
When you ask Gemini to generate content, the AI will serve you a response. However, it also generates multiple drafts of the text. To see these alternative versions, click the View other drafts drop-down menu. You’ll see three other drafts of the text; click the one you want to see. You can also click the Regenerate drafts button to have Gemini create another three drafts.
5. Speak Your Request
Next, try submitting a question or request by voice. Click the microphone icon in the prompt. The first time you do this, you may need to allow Gemini to use your microphone. Speak your request and click the Submit icon.
6. Have Gemini Read Its Response Aloud
On the flip side, you can hear the response spoken aloud. Click the Listen icon in the upper right of the response. You can click the Pause icon to pause or stop the narration.
7. Revise Your Question
Not happy with a response? You can rephrase the original request and try again. Hover over the question and click the Edit text icon to the right. Change the text and click the Update button to receive a new response.
8. Ask Gemini to Revise a Specific Part of the Response
Instead of regenerating the entire response, you can ask Gemini to revise specific details that you select. To do this, select the specific text in the response that you want to be tweaked. Click Modify selected text, then choose one of the four default options: Regenerate, Shorter, Longer, or Remove.
Alternatively, type a specific request in the prompt. Only the text you selected is then modified. You can then undo the modification or choose another type of revision.
9. Get Local Information With Precise Location
By default, Google pinpoints your general location based on your IP address, but that usually isn’t exact. If you’d like to use Gemini to get suggestions on nearby stores, restaurants, businesses, and landmarks, you can tell it to use your precise location, assuming you don’t mind sharing your specific location with Google.
To set this up, look at the city listed at the bottom of the left sidebar and click Update location. Click Allow to give Gemini access to your location. At the About this location window, click Use precise location. The link under the location changes from your IP address to your device. You can now use Gemini to get information on nearby sites and activities.
10. Upload Images to Gemini
Gemini also allows you to upload an image to get information on it. To do this, click the Upload file button to the left of the prompt and select the image. The file can be in JPG, PNG, or WebP format. After uploading the image, type a question or request based on what details you want Gemini to provide about the image and click Submit.
11. Copy a Response
Want to share or use a response elsewhere? After submitting your request, click the three-dot icon next to the response. From the pop-up menu, click Copy and paste the response in an external program or document.
12. Publish a Response
By default, your conversations can’t be seen by other users. However, you can make a response shareable, similar to how you can share Google Drive files. Click the Share & export button and select Share. Click Create public link to post the conversation online and give access to anyone with the link. You can also share the link via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit.
13. Export a Response
You can send the response to Google Docs if you’re trying to use it to create a document. Click the Share & export button and select Export to Docs, then click the Open Docs link to see the text as a Google Doc, where you can edit it. The response can also be sent to Gmail, if you click the Share & export button and select Draft in Gmail. Click the Open Gmail link, and the text appears in an email.
14. Manage Your Conversations
Gemini also allows you to manage all your chats. The left sidebar displays a history of your conversations. Click Show more to see them all. Select a specific one to view it and pick up the conversation where you left off. Click the three-dot icon for a specific chat, and you’re able to pin it, rename it, or delete it.
