With so many new names, products, and features announced in recent weeks, many consumers are confused by Google’s botched artificial intelligence (AI) strategy. The public’s confidence in AI, and perhaps more crucially, Google itself, is at risk due to the company’s disorganized strategy.
Google has released a bewildering array of AI products in the last few weeks alone, including Bard, Gemini, Gemini Advanced, Gemini 1.5 Pro, Gemini for Workspace, Gemini Business, and Gemini Enterprise. Google employees have been making funny internal memes about the company’s fast-paced rebranding and product launches, and many Twitter users are finding it difficult to keep up with the speed.
With this disorganized launch approach, people find it difficult to understand what’s what: Bard changed his name to Gemini, which also alludes to the underlying AI system. There are different varieties of Gemini, and not all of them have the same powers. The availability of Google goods varies by region and language.
The previous Duet AI for Workspace Enterprise has been replaced by Gemini Business ($20/month), which is a new price tier that lies beneath Gemini Enterprise ($30/month) like a matryoshka doll. Despite his desire for openness, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian’s latest tweets demonstrate the disorganized taxonomy that Google has created.
The issue is that Google hasn’t made clear to consumers why Gemini for Workspace is important or how it differs from earlier iterations of its AI assistant.
Additionally, the company’s inconsistent and overlapping naming schemes—which include Duet, Duo, Goose, Gemma, Gemini, and more—have confused users.
Even Google employees have made fun of the company’s confused AI branding approach with internal memes and jokes. A character from the widely watched television program The Office is seen in one inflammatory meme raising his hand to pose the query, “Which VP has their OKRs measured in a number of AI product names produced?”
Pressure To Remain Competitive
Given the competitive pressure from OpenAI, possibly its most significant adversary, Google’s haste is justified. However, the public’s anxiety about artificial intelligence is only made worse by its hurried and disorganized rollout. Customers are effectively being compelled by Google to watch chefs quarrel over recipes in its unkempt kitchen. No one is fed or educated by this open-kitchen show. All people want is dependable outcomes that are presented neatly on their plates.
Access and branding are kept straightforward by rival OpenAI. Even with its impressive AI know-how, Google has lost narrative control. The best inventions made by the corporation are useless if consumers don’t know how to use them. Google is currently facing a comprehension dilemma.
Google needs to start being honest if it is to win back the public’s trust. No more endless market research and model modification. No more confusing jumble of titles and skills. The business must provide a clear plan for AI products together with clear safety measures.
If not, customers can become impatient with an AI plan that is too complicated to be trusted. If Google wants consumers to truly use and profit from its AI developments, it needs to make its messaging simpler and make access easier. Nobody benefits from a scattershot strategy, least of all Google.