Google has announced notable updates to its Gemini platform. The changes, revealed on Friday, aim to enhance the user experience with the AI tools through adjustments to terminology and improved app connectivity. This update is being rolled out to all Google Workspace accounts, while the terminology shift will be applicable to all users of Gemini.
Google Implements Updates to Gemini
In a blog post, Google outlined its plans for the platform. First and foremost, the company is rebranding Gemini extensions as “apps.” The extensions will retain their original functionalities, but the term “extensions” will no longer be used within the app or the Gemini web client.
The extensions menu has been updated to feature the new label of Apps. The page now states, “Bring it all together with Gemini and your favourite apps,” replacing the previous wording, “Gemini Extensions help you bring it all together.” Additionally, the line advising users to “Turn Gemini Extensions on or off anytime” has been altered to “Manage which apps Gemini connects to.”
This change appears intended to help users perceive Gemini AI as seamlessly integrating with applications rather than relying on a separate extension. By streamlining the user interface, Google aims to make users more comfortable granting the AI chatbot access to their applications. The company emphasizes that “there are no changes to functionality.”
The second aspect of the update introduces a more advanced feature. The newly termed “apps” will utilize the Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking model, which Google describes as experimental. This enhancement is expected to provide improved performance and superior reasoning capabilities, making the AI responses quicker and more efficient.
In practical terms, users should see the Gemini assistant handle more complex tasks involving applications and interpret vague commands more effectively. The advances are powered by the 2.0 Flash Thinking model, which focuses on reasoning. However, since models that emphasize reasoning may require additional processing time, it remains to be seen if this will impact the speed of app-based tasks.
