Google plans to relaunch its AI image tool

WEB DESK: Google is set to relaunch its AI image generation tool, part of the Gemini AI models, in the coming weeks after temporarily pausing it due to concerns about inaccuracies in historical depictions.

The announcement was made by Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis on Monday during a panel at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Alphabet’s Google introduced image generation through its Gemini AI models earlier this month.

However, users quickly noticed discrepancies in the historical images generated by the tool, leading Google to take the feature offline for further improvements.

“We have taken the feature offline while we fix that. We are hoping to have that back online very shortly in the next couple of weeks, a few weeks,” stated Hassabis during the panel.

He acknowledged that the tool was not performing as intended and emphasised the company’s commitment to addressing the issues before the relaunch.

This move comes as part of Google’s ongoing efforts to compete with AI software developed by Microsoft-backed OpenAI. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, launched in November 2022, has been a benchmark for advanced language models, prompting Google to continuously improve its own AI capabilities.

It’s worth noting that Google’s generative AI chatbot, initially named Bard, faced scrutiny a year ago when it shared inaccurate information about pictures of a planet outside the Earth’s solar system in a promotional video.

This incident resulted in a significant drop in Google’s shares, falling by as much as 9%. Bard was subsequently rebranded as Gemini earlier this month, coinciding with the introduction of paid subscription plans that offer enhanced reasoning capabilities from the AI model.

The upcoming relaunch of the AI image generation tool signifies Google’s commitment to refining its technology and delivering a more accurate and reliable experience for users.

As the AI landscape continues to evolve, competition between major tech companies intensifies, with advancements and improvements driving innovation in artificial intelligence.

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