Short answer: Gemini is Google's family of AI models, made by Google DeepMind. It is also the name of Google's AI assistant: the chatbot Bard has been called Gemini since February 2024.
Google DeepMind
In 2023 Google brought its AI research together in one organisation, Google DeepMind, led by co-founder Demis Hassabis. Gemini was developed there, together with other teams across Google.
From Bard to Gemini
- 6 December 2023: Google announces Gemini. The first version comes in three sizes: large (Ultra), medium (Pro) and small (Nano, for phones).
- The same day, the chatbot Bard switches to a version of Gemini Pro.
- 8 February 2024: Bard is renamed Gemini, and a Gemini app arrives.
Many new Gemini versions have appeared since. They come so fast that we give no version numbers here. Check Google's site for the current overview.
What does multimodal mean?
From the start, Google called Gemini multimodal: the model is trained to understand text, code, audio, images and video together, not just text. In practice, you can upload a photo or a document and ask questions about it.
What does this mean for you?
If you already use Google services, you will probably come across Gemini there. Developers can use Gemini through Google AI Studio and Google Cloud (Vertex AI). For business use, check which version you are using and what the terms say about your data.
As of October 2026. Company details and models change fast; check the current situation at the source.
Sources
- Google: Introducing Gemini, our largest and most capable AI model (6 December 2023)
- Google: Bard is now Gemini (8 February 2024)
- Reuters: Google rebrands Bard chatbot as Gemini (8 February 2024)
Accessed 21 October 2026.