Google’s Gemini chat Bot is back in the news for its image generating capabilities with people. After being forced to deactivate this feature in February due to strict ethical settings causing it to malfunction, the chatbot is now back in action.
In an announcement on Wednesday, Google revealed that the full functionality of Gemini Advanced, the English-language version of the chatbot, will be available to subscribers once again. The latest version of the model, Imagen 3, has also been integrated. According to Dave Citron, a Google leader, the system has been modified to prevent it from creating photorealistic portraits of famous individuals, children, or any violent content.
Issues with Gemini arose soon after its initial launch, with users noticing that the virtual assistant struggled to visualize white-skinned individuals accurately and often distorted historical facts. Some instances were so absurd that when asked to depict a German soldier, the model generated images of African American or Asian women.
These problems not only sparked intense debates but also raised concerns about Google’s ability to manage AI systems effectively. This isn’t the first time the company has faced difficulties with AI models, as seen with the Bard model making significant errors in its early demonstrations.
Elon Musk, the owner of the social platform X, capitalized on Google’s mishaps, criticizing the company for what he described as “egregious racism and sexism” displayed by their AI technology. Despite the backlash, Google promised to address the issues promptly.
In addition to resolving these challenges, Google introduced a new feature for corporate clients – the ability to create custom versions of Gemini known as GEMS. These customized versions will be beneficial for programming, training, and text editing purposes.
However, Google developers caution that even with the improvements, errors may still occur. Dave Citron emphasized the importance of user feedback in refining the product, stating, “Not every picture generated by Gemini will be flawless, but we are committed to reviewing user responses and enhancing our product.”