Google Gemini: A tutorial for beginners

Google was once seen as the leader in the AI space and it showed that through search, Google Lens, computational photography, and other products. However, when OpenAI launched ChatGPT to showcase the prowess of its generative AI tech, Google seemed to have been caught off guard and it scrambled to release its own AI chatbot in the form of Google Bard, before replacing it with Gemini AI.

Gemini AI, like ChatGPT, is a generative AI (GenAI) chatbot powered by a large language model (LLM) developed by DeepMind with the same name. The chatbot is designed to answer your queries with responses that seem akin to those generated by humans, not machines. It is a departure from the current state of the search and Google Gemini can be used to write an essay or a thesis.

How to use Gemini AI

As a multimodal chatbot, Gemini AI accepts prompts in text, images, audio, and video. It uses natural language processing and machine learning technology to understand the queries and offers responses that are more contextual than the one offered by Google Search. However, you might be wondering how to use Gemini AI or how to get started with Google’s generative AI chatbot.

How to use Gemini AI on the web

The easiest way to use Gemini AI is on the web. All you need is a Google account to access Gemini and send your prompts across to Google AI. Here’s how.

Step 1: Go to www.gemini.google.com and sign in with your Google account.

Step 2: Once you are logged in, you will be automatically redirected to the Gemini homepage.

Step 3: A pop-up will appear with “Terms of Service,” click on “I agree” to continue with Gemini AI.

Step 4: Enter your query or prompt in the box with the label “Enter a prompt here” and press Enter.

Step 5: Wait for Gemini to analyse your prompt and generate a response.

Once the response is generated, you can either edit your prompt by clicking on the pencil icon or interact with the response with the like or dislike button.

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If you find the response to be irrelevant to your prompt or query, Gemini AI also allows you to modify the response. You have the option to either make it shorter, longer, simpler, casual, or more professional.

How to use the Gemini AI app

Gemini AI is not only available on the web but also available as a dedicated app. If you are an Android user then you can download the Gemini AI app from the Play Store.

Step 1: Download the Gemini AI app from the Play Store.

Step 2: Once installed, open the app and grant the necessary permissions.

Step 3: Create a new account or log in with your Google account.

Step 4: Enter your query or prompt and start communicating with Google’s AI chatbot.

If you have an iPhone, Google does not offer a dedicated Gemini AI app but you can use it from the Google app by switching the toggle from Google Search to Gemini.

How to use Gemini AI: 5 ways to use Google's AI chatbot

Once you know how to access Gemini AI, here are five ways to use Gemini AI for the best experience.

1. Speak your request

While the default method is to type your prompt into the box labelled “Enter a prompt here,” you can also use your voice. In order to submit a prompt or ask a query by voice, click the microphone icon in the prompt bar. The first time you do this, Gemini will ask for your permission to use the microphone. Once you have made your voice request, click the Submit button.

2. Ask Gemini to read the response aloud

While you can speak to Gemini with your query, you can also ask Google’s AI chatbot to read the response aloud. To do this, click on the Listen icon in the upper top right corner after the response is generated. Once Gemini starts reading the response aloud, you can pause or stop the narration.

3. Ask Gemini to Google a response

Once the response is generated, you can ask Gemini follow-up questions and the contextual awareness and natural language processing allows it to further answer your query. However, you can also use Google to double-check the response.

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To do this, click on the Google icon below the generated response. Once you click the Google button, Gemini will highlight specific details and you can visit the online source associated with it.

4. View other drafts

When you send a query to Gemini AI, the chatbot will serve you with a response. However, the generative AI tool also generates additional draft responses in the background. To see these alternative versions, you can click on the “View other drafts” drop-down menu and click on the one you want to see. Once you have opened a draft, you can also click on the “Regenerate drafts” button to ask Gemini to create another three drafts.

5. Modify the selected part of the response:

If you are unhappy with the response generated by Gemini AI, you can ask Google’s AI to revise specific details. To do this, select the text you want to modify in the response. Now, click “Modify selected text” and choose from one of the four options: Regenerate, Shorter, Longer, or Remove.

In addition to these, you can also upload images to Gemini AI, export a response to Google Docs, and get local information by sharing your location. Gemini AI is a great tool for writing an essay, generating content ideas, summarising content, or coding. While it does hallucinate like other generative AI tools, its up-to-date information and human-like responses can be put to good use.