On March 14 I wrote an overview blog on chatbots which focused on five that I use: Perplexity, ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Microsoft Copilot, and Gemini. I’ve been exploring each in more detail in subsequent posts. Today I am looking at Google’s entry in the race.

Fair Assessment with Premium Edition

Before writing about Gemini, I wanted to make sure I was making a fair comparison to the others I’ve reviewed, so I subscribed to Gemini Advanced. As seems to be typical, it was $20 per month. I downloaded the desktop app and it sure looked pretty!  I asked it “who said, ‘to be or not to be’” and it was no surprise when it responded, “Spoken by Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, in William Shakespeare’s play of the same name. It’s the opening line of a soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 1 where Hamlet wrestles with the question of life and death, contemplating suicide.”  Good start!

No Go on iPhone

I decided to download Gemini Advanced to my iPhone.  Seemed easy enough to download but I could not get it to work! After spending about an hour trying (and accidentally subscribing to similar programs) I gave up in frustration.

Generic Advice

The advice I received on my query for low-cost ways to improve cybersecurity was disappointing. The suggestion was simply to find free software. The text felt like boilerplate, and I had no confidence in any of the free tools it recommended.

Inaccuracy Concerns

A warning on the main results page states, “Gemini may display inaccurate info, including about people, so double-check its responses.” This proved to be true when I tested its accuracy with a specific request: “Show me a 1967 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce 1750.” It displayed four red Alfa Romeos, none of which were both the correct year and model. The one it displayed is likely a 1957 model. As they say, close, but no cigar:

Proofreading

I asked Gemini to proofread this post.  It did not come up with anything useful. This is odd because that type of request seems to be unchallenging to most other chatbots.

What’s to Like?

• It was easy to use and is widely available.
• It fits in nicely with Google ecosystem.

What’s Not to Like?

• It has poor proofreading capabilities.
• Inaccuracy is a concern – I needed to always double-check its output.
• Not useful for creating content.

Overall Grade

In summary, I’d give Gemini a “D”.  It is simply not ready for prime time!

Please check back for my upcoming reviews of the remaining AI chatbots I have used, Microsoft Copilot and Bing Chat.

P.S. I did a regular Google Search for the 1967 Spider Veloce 1750cc. This is shown below.  I loved mine back in the day; it was such a fun car to drive! This was the model car featured in the movie “The Graduate” with Dustin Hoffman.