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Gemini 1.5 Unleashes Unprecedented Context for AI Applications

by Serge BaloyanFebruary 20th, 2024

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Gemini 1.5 Pro can handle up to 1 million tokens, which is equivalent to one hour of video, 11 hours of audio, or over 700,000 words of text. This is a significant jump from the previous Gemini 1.0 Pro, which had a context window of 32,000 tokens. The model is currently available for early testing to developers and enterprise customers, with plans to introduce pricing tiers that will scale up to the 1 million token limit.

featured image - Gemini 1.5 Unleashes Unprecedented Context for AI Applications

Google's latest AI model, Gemini 1.5, has generated significant buzz due to its ability to handle vastly larger contexts than previous models. This article explores the unique features of Gemini 1.5, focusing on its long-context understanding and the implications for users and businesses.

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A New Standard for Context

Gemini 1.5 Pro, the general-purpose model in Google's system, can handle up to 1 million tokens, which is equivalent to one hour of video, 11 hours of audio, or over 700,000 words of text. This is a significant jump from the previous Gemini 1.0 Pro, which had a context window of 32,000 tokens.

Unlike Gemini 1.0, Gemini 1.5 utilizes a Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architecture, which allows the model to selectively activate only the most relevant expert pathways in its neural network. This approach makes the model faster and more efficient, as it doesn't need to process the entire model for every query.

Performance and Benchmarking

Gemini 1.5 Pro outperforms Gemini 1.0 Pro by 87% and performs about as well as Gemini 1.0 Ultra in benchmarking tests. The model is currently available for early testing to developers and enterprise customers, with plans to introduce pricing tiers that will scale up to the 1 million token limit.

The larger context window in Gemini 1.5 opens up new possibilities for businesses and users. For example, filmmakers could upload their entire movie and use Gemini to analyze and summarize the content, or companies could use it to look over masses of financial records.

Safety and Ethical Considerations

Google is testing the model's safety and ethical boundaries, particularly regarding the newly larger context window. The company is aware of the potential risks and is working to ensure that Gemini 1.5 is used responsibly.

However, Gemini 1.5 Pro is not available to the general public at the moment. Currently, it's being offered as an early preview to "developers and enterprise customers" through Google's AI Studio and Vertex AI platforms for free. The company is warning testers they may experience long latency times since it is still experimental. There are plans, however, to improve speeds down the line.

Pricing and Future Prospects

Google plans to introduce pricing tiers in the near future that start at the standard 128,000 context window and will likely include the larger context window, although the exact pricing has not been revealed. The model's overall time savings might justify the potential cost, as it could significantly reduce the time needed to process large amounts of data.

All in all, Gemini 1.5 represents a significant leap forward in AI technology, with its ability to handle vastly larger contexts than previous models. This upgrade has the potential to revolutionize the way businesses and users interact with AI, opening up new possibilities for applications and use cases. However, it's important to note that the full 1 million token context window will not be available to all users at launch, and pricing tiers will scale up to a specific token limit.