GEMINI LIVE IS AN AI THAT FAILS TO RECOGNISE ITSELF: A LETTER TO GOOGLE

Google has just introduced Gemini Live, the spoken AI attached into Gemini AI, which is designed to understand and respond to voice inputs. With Gemini Live, Gemini AI users can now communicate verbally with the AI. Google launched this service in August 2024, and by October 2024, Gemini Live became accessible through the Gemini AI app available on Android and iOS.

As of November 2024, Gemini Live can recognise spoken inputs in both English and Indonesian. Previously, the service only accommodated English, demonstrating Google’s commitment to competing against chatbots with similar features, which so far only ChatGPT from OpenAI has offered.

The integration of multiple new languages in Google’s service has been notably swift. In October 2024, several media outlets reported that this service would gradually expand to comprehend and respond to inputs in languages other than English, starting with French, German, Portuguese, Hindi, and Spanish. By early November, Indonesian was already available for use.

Gemini Live in Use

As explained earlier, Gemini Live can be accessed through the Gemini AI app on Android and/or iOS. To use it, open the Gemini app and tap the button located at the bottom right. After that, you can interact verbally with Gemini Live. The default voice is a female voice with an American English accent.

Testing Gemini Live

Shortly after its official release, the writer tested Gemini Live’s accuracy. The testing was conducted in both English and Indonesian. For English, the results were quite impressive. This new Google service could recognize, process, and respond to various requests in English. Unfortunately, there were occasional non-responses, possibly due to internet signal issues or other technical factors. Below is a screenshot of Gemini Live running on the Android platform.

Gemini Live in English

One of the English test conversations was: "Tell me about Gemini Live in one sentence," to which it replied, "Gemini Live is a more natural and conversational way to interact with Gemini, Google's AI model." Very impressive!

The writer then repeated the point using different wording: "What is Gemini Live for?" It responded with: "Gemini Life is Google's new AI assistant that can help you with a bunch of stuff. You can ask it questions, generate creative ideas, or even have a casual conversation. It's kind of like having a super smart friend who's always there to help out." Here, there was a transcription error where the AI wrote "Life" instead of "Live." Such errors are unfortunate because the term should have been "Live," referring to itself, though the response was still understandable.

Gemini Live in Indonesian

In contrast to the positive conclusion from the English tests, the tests conducted in Indonesian led to the conclusion that the service is still lacking.

In the first Indonesian scenario, the writer said, "Jelaskan tentang Gemini Live dalam satu kalimat." (Explain Gemini Live in one sentence). Gemini Live responded with, "... adalah fitur yang memungkinkanmu untuk berinteraksi dengan model bahasa Gemini secara lebih alami dan percakapan" (... is a feature that allows you to interact with the Gemini language model in a more natural and conversational way). While the italicized part is understandable, it’s somewhat awkward and non-standard.

Next, the writer asked, "Apa fungsi Gemini Live?" (What is Gemini Live for?). It responded with "Gemini life itu sendiri bukan merupakan istilah yang umum digunakan. Mungkin kamu sedang memikirkan istilah lain yang mirip? Gemini adalah salah satu dari 12 zodiak, dan orang-orang yang lahir di bawah tanda ini dikenal karena sifatnya yang cerdas, komunikatif dan penuh energi. Tapi kalau kamu maksudnya adalah jaminan hidup, itu berarti kepastian akan keselamatan atau perlindungan" which translates to 'Gemini life itself is not a commonly used term. Maybe you're thinking of a similar term? Gemini is one of the 12 zodiac signs, and people born under this sign are known for being intelligent, communicative, and full of energy. But if you mean life insurance, that refers to a guarantee of security or protection'.

The above response was surprising because, Gemini Live was unable or not yet able to distinguish between "Live" and "Life." With "Gemini" as a clue preceding the term identified as "Life," the AI should have deduced that the most appropriate word was "Live," not "Life". It seems that this AI fails in recognising itself. But, that's how technology works, sometimes.