How to get the new Gemini Advanced features for your business

Google yesterday revealed a plethora of AI-powered innovations at its annual developer conference, Google I/O. Among the key highlights announced by CEO Sundar Pichai was a series of exciting updates to its main AI chatbot, Gemini Advanced.

Gemini Advanced was first unveiled back in February, and the plan passed 100 million worldwide subscribers in just 24 hours as users scrambled to access one of the most powerful AI projects available.

Since then, the tech goliath has continuously added to the subscription-based tool and its integrations with Google apps. Crucially, it is still completely free for business users to try, thanks to a two month trial window.

Below, we’ll explain how to sign up and download the app or use it on your desktop. We’ll also explain what features the updated AI tool will offer to help users superpower their business growth.

How do I sign up to Gemini Advanced?

Anyone who is over the age of 18 and has a Google Workspace account can easily sign up to experience the newly-upgraded Gemini Advanced. Currently, access to Gemini Advanced is bundled with a Google One AI Premium subscription.

You can do this either through the ‘Settings’ page in your Google One AI account, or by visiting the Gemini website, which will invite you to upgrade to Gemini Advanced.

For business users logged into a work account, access controls might block you from subscribing. The Google Workspace account manager at your business must enable the settings – this could be your IT team, or whoever set up the Google account, in the case of smaller businesses.

Newbies are able to subscribe to Gemini Advanced completely free for up to two months. After that runs out, UK users will need to pay £18.99 per month to access the platform.

As well as cutting-edge AI technology, this membership also has 2TB of expanded storage and integrates with every app in the Google suite of products.

What will Gemini Advanced give my business?

Like many AI tools, the (non-Advanced) Google Gemini desktop app remains completely free for users. Entrepreneurs can use it to ask questions, brainstorm ideas, and even draft a business plan. You might then be wondering: why can’t I just continue with the free version of Gemini?

The key benefit to upgrading to Gemini Advanced is that you’ll be able to access Google’s 1.5 Pro model, which was announced back in February. Google confirmed its addition to the Gemini Advanced platform at its most recent I/O developer conference.

Alongside boasting a much cooler, sci-fi sounding name, 1.5 Pro is far more capable at complex day-to-day tasks and can even be used for creative design.

Google has invested a lot of development time into this model. Here are three key ways it promises to improve business productivity in 2024:

1. You can upload files for Gemini Advanced to analyse

That’s right, Gemini Advanced now has eyes. As of May 2024, business users are able to upload 1,000 page PDF documents for the computer to review and summarise instantly.

Entrepreneurs can also save hours by asking Gemini to read up to 100 emails at a time. This will reduce time spent in the inbox while ensuring they don’t miss important updates.

2. Better scheduling and time management

Because it can integrate with Gmail and the Google Calendar, the 1.5 Pro model can help users to manage their calendar and diary appointments. It can create even complex itineraries that consider everything from meeting time to diet requirements.

For example, a business owner might ask Gemini Advanced: ‘I am meeting a client next Tuesday at Nottingham train station. They are interested in art and have a vegan diet. Can you pull my train ticket and meeting time from Gmail to help me plan the appointment?’

Gemini Advanced can then use this prompt to identify your arrival time and help you plan nearby activities, such as a vegan restaurant to eat at and a nearby art gallery to visit.

3. You can create a virtual AI assistant

One of the most exciting announcements from the 1.5 Pro launch is the addition of ‘Gems’. These are essentially customised profiles you can create for yourself so that Gemini knows how to interact with you.

Simply describe what your Gem should do  — like “you’re my business mentor, give me an inspirational quote and be upbeat and motivating” and Gemini Advanced will play the role.

Gemini Advanced, GPT-4o and the battle for business AI users

Gemini Advanced is an upgrade to the base version of Google’s AI assistant, Gemini (formerly known as Bard).

Its launch came three months after the unveiling of OpenAI’s chatbot giant ChatGPT; an arrival on the market that signalled the beginning of an ongoing AI arms race (in recent days, OpenAI stole a march on Google’s announcement by unveiling its own GPT-4o).

Together, OpenAI and Google have battled to create the more advanced AI tool. Every month, both providers announce multiple updates that each claim to outperform the other. In February, that included the rollout of the more sophisticated Gemini Advanced plan.

Both systems have their benefits, but Gemini Advanced has won over SMEs due to its easy integration with Google Workspace, known as Gemini for Workspace (formerly Duet AI).

Google already has a strong foothold in the business world with its suite of software such as Google Meet and Google Drive. Its chatbot is designed to complement this existing portfolio.