Google Gemini facts for kids
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Start screen of a conversation
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| Developer(s) | Google AI Google DeepMind |
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| Initial release | March 21, 2023 (as Bard) February 8, 2024 (as Gemini) |
| Operating system | |
| Platform | Cloud computing platforms |
| Predecessor | Google Assistant |
| Available in | 46 languages 239 countries and regions |
| Type | |
| License | Proprietary |
Gemini is a smart computer program, like a helpful assistant, created by Google. It's a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that can chat with you, answer questions, and even help you create things. Gemini used to be called Bard. It's powered by a very advanced computer model, also named Gemini, which helps it understand and create text, code, images, sounds, and videos.
Gemini is special because it was built to understand many different types of information at once. This means it can work with text, computer code, pictures, sounds, and videos all together. Google offers different versions of Gemini. Some are small and work well on phones, while others are very powerful for solving complex problems. Newer versions of Gemini have been introduced that can even look at huge amounts of information, like entire computer programs or long videos, all at once to help you.
Gemini was first announced in December 2023. It replaced Google's older names for its AI tools. For example, the Bard chatbot became Gemini in February 2024. Also, another Google AI tool called "Duet AI" changed its name to Gemini. You can use Gemini through a mobile app on Android phones, where it can act as your device's assistant. It's also available for developers to use in their own apps.
When Gemini was first released, many people praised its technical abilities, especially for coding and finding information. Some even compared it to other advanced AI programs like OpenAI's GPT-4. However, there were some discussions about how reliable its answers were. In early 2024, Google temporarily stopped Gemini from creating images of people because some users noticed that the images it created sometimes weren't accurate or fair, especially when showing different groups of people. Google has since made updates to Gemini, including versions 1.5 and 3.0, which were released throughout 2025. These updates focused on making Gemini give more accurate answers and work faster.
Contents
How Gemini Started
The Rise of AI Chatbots
In November 2022, a new chatbot called ChatGPT became very popular around the world. It was created by a company called OpenAI. This made Google's leaders realize how important these new AI programs were. They called for a "code red," which meant everyone needed to focus on improving Google's own AI efforts. Even Google's co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who had retired, came back to help discuss how Google should respond to this new technology.
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Google had already developed its own advanced AI program called LaMDA in 2021. However, Google decided not to release LaMDA to the public at that time. The company was worried that an AI program might spread incorrect information, and they wanted to be very careful.
In early 2023, Google's teams worked hard to create a competitor to ChatGPT. They tested many different chatbots, including one called "Apprentice Bard." Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai, told investors that the company planned to make its AI programs more widely available.
Introducing Bard
On February 6, 2023, Google officially announced Bard. This was a new AI chatbot powered by LaMDA. Bard was first given to a small group of trusted testers. Google planned to release it more widely later that month. The team behind Bard described it as a "collaborative AI service," meaning it was designed to work with you, not just give you search results.
Many news outlets thought Google announced Bard quickly to get ahead of its rival, Microsoft. Microsoft was planning to announce its own partnership with OpenAI to add ChatGPT-like features to its Bing search engine. This started a new competition between the two big technology companies over the future of search.
However, an early demonstration of Bard in February had a small mistake. Bard gave incorrect information about the James Webb Space Telescope. This caused Google's stock value to drop. Some Google employees also felt the announcement was rushed. Despite these early challenges, Google's leaders defended their decision, saying they had been working on AI for a long time.
After the demonstration, Google asked 80,000 employees to spend several hours testing Bard. They were asked to correct any mistakes Bard made. Some employees had concerns about safety and ethics, but Google decided to launch the product anyway.
Bard's Public Launch and Growth
(March 21, 2023 - February 7, 2024)
Google made Bard available to a limited number of users in the US and UK on March 21, 2023. Users could join a waiting list to try it. Bard was a separate website where you could type questions into a text box. It also had a warning that it might sometimes give inaccurate or offensive information. For each question, Bard would offer three different answers, and users could give feedback on which answers were most helpful.
Bard learned from information available to the public. Google also changed its privacy policy to explain this. Google also reorganized its team for Google Assistant to focus more on Bard. In March, Google announced that it would upgrade Bard to use a newer, more powerful AI model called PaLM. This upgrade gave Bard better math and logic skills. By April, Bard could also help with computer coding in over 20 programming languages.
Bard's New Features and Global Reach
At its annual Google I/O event in May 2023, Google announced many updates for Bard. It started using the even more advanced PaLM 2 model. Bard also began working with other Google products and services from other companies. It became available in over 180 countries and supported many more languages.
In July, Bard launched in the European Union and Brazil. It added new features to help users personalize their experience and be more productive. In September, Google released another big update. Bard could now connect with many Google products through "extensions." It also added a button to help users check if AI-generated answers were correct using Google Search. Users could also share their conversations with Bard.
Later in October, Google introduced "Assistant with Bard." This was an improved version of the Google Assistant that included Bard's AI abilities.
The Era of Gemini
From Bard to Gemini
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App and Favicon in 2025 ...
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... and in 2023-2025
On December 6, 2023, Google introduced Gemini, a new and even more powerful AI model. This model could understand and work with many different types of information, like text, images, and sounds. A special version of Gemini, called Gemini Pro, was added to Bard. A more advanced version, Gemini Ultra, was planned for a premium service.
In February 2024, Google officially changed the name of the Bard chatbot to Gemini. The "Duet AI" tools for businesses also became part of the Gemini brand. A new Gemini mobile app was launched for Android phones, and the service was added to the Google app on iOS devices. On Android, the Gemini app could even replace Google Assistant as the main virtual assistant on your phone. Google also launched "Gemini Advanced with Ultra 1.0," which was available through a special subscription. Gemini was also added to the Google Messages app on Android.
Gemini's Latest Innovations
At the 2024 Google I/O event, Google announced that Gemini would be integrated into even more products. These included Android, Google Chrome, Google Photos, and Google Workspace. Gemini Advanced was upgraded to use the powerful "Gemini 1.5 Pro" language model. Google also showed off "Gemini Live," a voice chat mode, and "Gems," which lets users create their own custom chatbots.
Gemini Live was first introduced in August 2024. It became the default virtual assistant on the Pixel 9 series phones later that year, replacing the Google Assistant. It then rolled out to Samsung Galaxy devices, starting with the Samsung Galaxy S25 series in July 2025. It also expanded to other models like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, becoming part of the Galaxy AI features.
In February 2025, Google added a new feature for Gemini Advanced subscribers. This feature allows Gemini to remember and refer back to your past conversations.
In June 2025, Google announced Gemini CLI, an open-source AI tool for computer terminals. At the same time, Google revealed a new logo for Gemini. This new logo uses colors that match the gradient colors of the new Google logo and has more rounded sparkles. The new logo is available for both Android and iPhone devices.
See also
- Google AI Studio
 | James Van Der Zee |
 | Alma Thomas |
 | Ellis Wilson |
 | Margaret Taylor-Burroughs |
