What is Google Gemini? Google Gemini is Google’s AI platform for writing texts, analysing documents, generating images and processing data. Gemini is built straight into Google Workspace, so depending on your plan you use it inside Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Slides without logging in separately. The basic version is available for free via gemini.google.com and as an app on your phone.
How does Google Gemini work?
Google Gemini runs on a large language model (LLM) developed by Google DeepMind. An LLM is an AI system trained on huge amounts of text to recognise patterns in language and generate text on that basis. Gemini has also been trained to be multimodal, so alongside text it processes images, audio and video in a single conversation.
That multimodal approach sets Gemini apart from many other AI tools. You can upload a photo of a whiteboard, ask questions about it and then have the content turned into a structured document.
Text, images and audio all flow through the same context window.
Gemini is available as a web app via gemini.google.com, as a mobile app for Android and iOS, and as part of Google Workspace. For developers there is the Gemini API via Google AI Studio and Vertex AI.
Which Gemini models and versions are there?
Google releases Gemini as several models, each optimised for specific tasks. Which models you use in the Gemini app depends on your plan. In the app they are called Flash-Lite, Flash and Pro, without a version number.
Since 9 October 2026, the free app only gives you Auto, and you cannot pick a model yourself. Most prompts then go to Flash-Lite, the lightest model, intended for simple processing at scale; some go to Flash or Pro. According to the plans page, Google AI Plus gives you access to Flash, the model for speed and everyday tasks such as summarising emails or answering short questions. For AI Plus, Google has announced a change similar to the one in the free app, with the start date to be sent by email.
With Google AI Pro and Ultra you work with Flash and Pro and, according to Google, since 13 October 2026 also with Gemini 4 Argon in selected countries. Gemini 4 Argon is Google’s new frontier model and sits above Pro. Pro is intended for complex tasks such as in-depth analysis and programming, and includes Deep Think, a reasoning mode that explores several hypotheses before an answer is generated. Deep Think is only available to Google AI Ultra subscribers.
On a paid plan, Flash-Lite is the fallback once you reach the limit on a heavier model.
Google does not state which version sits behind Flash and Pro in the app. In the API, however, you work with fixed model names. Gemini 4 Argon has been listed there as a stable model (gemini-4-argon) since 13 October 2026, and Gemini 3.8 Flash since 2 September 2026 (gemini-3.8-flash). Gemini 3.1 Pro is still listed in the API as a preview.
What is the Gemini app?
The Gemini app is the mobile version of Google Gemini for Android and iOS. You use the app to ask questions, generate texts and create images, just as in the web version. On Android phones, the Gemini app replaces Google Assistant as the default voice assistant.
Through the Gemini app you connect the system to Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps and Google Photos. From one interface you can search your email, check your calendar appointments and get directions without switching between apps.
On Samsung phones, Gemini comes pre-installed as the AI assistant. You activate it with the side button or by saying “Hey Google”. The app works the same as on other Android devices, plus extra integrations with Samsung apps such as Samsung Notes and the camera.
What is Gemini Live?
Gemini Live is the voice feature that lets you hold a conversation with Gemini on your phone. You speak in everyday language and Gemini answers straight away, without you having to type a text prompt. A conversation with Gemini Live feels like a phone call, including the ability to interrupt, ask follow-up questions and change the subject.
For professionals, Gemini Live is useful while commuting, on the way to an appointment or when you want to work hands-free. You can prepare a meeting, brainstorm a presentation or look up information while you drive. Gemini Live works on Android and iOS.
How does Gemini work in Google Workspace?
Gemini is built into Gmail, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides and Google Drive. In Gmail, Gemini helps you draft, edit and summarise emails. With Business Starter you only get the Gemini app, Gemini in Gmail and Vids; Gemini in Docs, Sheets, Slides and Drive is included from Business Standard upwards.
In Docs you write documents together with Gemini and have texts rewritten or summarised. In Sheets, Gemini generates formulas, analyses data and creates tables based on your instructions.
In Slides, Gemini helps you design presentations and generate images. In Drive, the system searches your files and emails to answer questions about your own documents. For example, you can ask “what did we agree with client X last month?”, and Gemini looks for the answer in your emails and documents at the same time.
That integration is the main distinguishing factor compared with other AI tools. You do not have to copy text into a separate window; Gemini works in the document you are already working on. For professionals who spend most of their working day in Google Workspace, that saves a lot of switching between windows.
What can you do with Google Gemini?
With Google Gemini you can write and edit texts, summarise long documents, translate between languages and generate images with the Nano Banana model. Gemini also generates videos via Veo and writes or debugs code.
One strong point is the link with Google Search. Where many other AI models work from training data with a cut-off date, Gemini retrieves current information via Google.
That link makes Gemini suitable for tasks where recent data matters, such as market research or checking current regulations. The output remains an approximation; always check important facts against the original source.
Since March 2026, Gemini has also been able to generate interactive 3D models and simulations directly in the chat window. You describe a physics concept or a geometric shape, for example, and Gemini builds a model you can rotate and whose variables you can adjust. This feature is available to Google AI Pro subscribers and above.
On 30 September 2026 Google announced skills for Gemini: reusable instructions that run automatically whenever a prompt matches the task.
The rollout of skills in the Gemini app began on 13 October 2026 and, according to Google, is expected to be complete by mid-November. For now, skills are available to users aged 18 and over, and they will replace Gems. On 17 November 2026 Google will convert existing Gems into skills and Gems will become read-only; on 17 December 2026 they will disappear from the Gemini app. For business Workspace accounts, that step follows in March 2027.
What do professionals use Google Gemini for?
Professionals use Google Gemini for tasks directly linked to their work in the Google ecosystem. Marketers use it to write and edit content from existing briefs in Docs. Analysts use Gemini in Sheets to generate formulas and spot patterns in data.
HR professionals summarise long policy documents and draft job adverts from a template. Project managers pull action points out of meeting notes and write status updates based on earlier documents. Developers use Gemini for code review, generating boilerplate code and debugging errors.
The common thread is that Gemini delivers the most for professionals who already work in the Google ecosystem. The combination of AI features with direct access to your own documents, emails and calendar makes it more practical than a standalone AI platform.
Professionals who give Gemini fixed tasks with a fixed checkpoint at the end get more value from it than those who use it ad hoc. Passing that way of working on to the rest of the team, so that not everyone has to work it out for themselves, is what fixed team agreements are all about.
What is the difference between Gemini and ChatGPT?
The difference between Gemini and ChatGPT lies mainly in the integration with your working environment. Gemini is deeply woven into Google Workspace and retrieves current information via Google Search. OpenAI’s ChatGPT is a standalone platform separate from your email or documents, but it has traditionally been strong at writing longer texts, programming and complex reasoning tasks.
The choice depends on your working environment. If you work in Google Workspace every day, Gemini delivers more direct value.
If you use Microsoft 365 or work across platforms, ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude is a more logical starting point.
How safe is Google Gemini?
Google Gemini sometimes generates incorrect information. Every AI model carries that risk; the output sounds convincing but is not always correct. So check answers before you use them in your work, especially with figures, legal information and medical advice.
For privacy, what counts is the type of account, not the plan. With a personal Google account, whether free or with a subscription such as Google AI Pro, Google uses conversations to improve AI models as long as saving your Gemini activity is switched on, and human reviewers assess some of those conversations. New conversations stay in your account for 72 hours, even if saving is switched off.
With a business Google Workspace account, Google does not use chats and uploaded files to train models, and people do not review them without permission. So do not enter confidential client data, personal data or commercially sensitive information via a personal account: you would be processing clients’ personal data there without a legal basis and without agreements with the processor.
Ideally, use anonymised data or work with templates that contain no identifiable information. If you want to use AI responsibly, build a fixed checkpoint into the workflow where output is compared against a reliable source.
How do you get started with Google Gemini?
You start with Google Gemini via gemini.google.com or by downloading the Gemini app on your phone. Log in with your Google account and you can start using Gemini for your first questions straight away. The free version works without a subscription, so you can try out the basic features in your own work first.
Start with a real task from your own work: rewriting an email, summarising a document or asking a question about a file you upload. You will soon find out what Gemini does well and less well for your type of work.
For Gemini in Gmail you need at least Google AI Plus, and for Gemini in Docs Google AI Pro. Gemini pricing per plan differs mainly in usage limits, model and storage, not in the app’s basic features.
Google Gemini delivers the most within a fixed way of working, with a clear use case and checkpoints that catch mistakes before the output goes any further. The AI Literacy Course teaches that way of working for AI tools in general, including how to check output before you use it.
Frequently asked questions about Google Gemini
Before you start using Google Gemini, you will probably want to know what the plans cost and what extra you get with each one.
How much does Gemini cost per month?
In the Netherlands, Gemini costs €4.99 a month with Google AI Plus and €21.99 a month with Google AI Pro. Google AI Ultra starts at €99.99 a month for five times the usage limits of Pro; the version with twenty times those limits costs €219.99 a month. These amounts are on Gemini’s Dutch plans page, checked on 5 November 2026. The free version costs nothing.
What is the difference between Google AI Plus and Google AI Pro?
With Google AI Pro you get access to Gemini 4 Argon and the Pro model, while Google AI Plus runs on the Flash model. Pro gives four times the usage limits of the free version and 5 TB of storage; Plus gives twice those limits and 400 GB. Gemini in Docs is only included with Pro and above, and according to the plans page Google opens Pro to users aged 18 and over.
How much does Gemini Enterprise cost?
Gemini Enterprise, the business plan Google shows alongside the consumer plans, costs US$21 per licence per month in the Business version, for teams of up to 300 people. The Standard and Plus versions cost US$30 per licence per month, with higher usage limits and no maximum number of licences. Google also shows these business prices in dollars on the Dutch plans page.
