Google Gemini Defaults To 'Gemini 2.0 Flash': The Next And Obvious Logical Step

Gemini 2.0 Flash

The internet continues to operate as usual, but behind the scenes, Google has been working at full speed.

The launch of ChatGPT by OpenAI sparked an intense competition in the tech world. Companies of all sizes scrambled to establish themselves in the AI space, recognizing the transformative potential of generative AI.

Despite being a dominant force on the web, Google was caught off guard by this rapid surge in AI development. The emergence of Large Language Model (LLM)-powered chatbots reshaping human-computer interaction triggered what was internally described as a “code red.”

In response, Google rushed to create its own AI-powered chatbot, originally launched as Bard, later rebranded as Gemini.

To maintain its dominance, Google deeply integrated Gemini into its core products, ensuring its presence across search, productivity tools, and beyond.

With the landscape continuously evolving, Google is moving fast.

After announcing Gemini 2.0 Flash Experimental, the company finally released a stable version of it to the masses, by defaulting Gemini to use the 2.0 Flash.

According to Google in a blog post:

"The Gemini app is now using Gemini 2.0 Flash. This model delivers fast responses and stronger performance across a number of key benchmarks, providing everyday help with tasks like brainstorming, learning or writing."

Google was so hyped about this 2.0 Flash that it launched a preview version for Android users to fiddle with.

But now, 2.0 Flash is rolling out to all users on the Gemini web and mobile app.

2.0 Flash in the Gemini app model picker is described as being "For everyday tasks." Free users get image upload, but not files or Drive access.

And just like its name suggests, this 2.0 Flash is indeed fast, with reports suggesting that it's twice as fast as Gemini 1.5 Pro.

Following the launch, Google changed the descriptions for 1.5 Flash (previously "Get everyday help") and 1.5 Pro ("Tackle complex tasks") to "Previous model."

Officially, these two models will "remain available for the next few weeks for you to continue your existing conversations," said Google.

Along with the update of Gemini with Gemini 2.0 Flash for all free users, Google isn't forgetting those who pays.

Google said that Gemini Advanced users will continue to have access to a 1 million token context window for up to 1,500 pages of file uploads, priority access to features like Deep Research and Gems and more.

Google also said that Gemini Advanced subscribers can now access Gemini 2.0 Pro Experimental, "our leading model designed to be exceptional at complex tasks, providing better factuality and stronger performance for coding and math prompts."

Many people see this sudden shift towards defaulting a faster and better version of Gemini for all users is one of Google's response to DeepSeek's Deepseek-R1, which that company claimed surpassed o1 on several metrics with much lower resources and cost, and had the U.S. market, tech sector and government worried.

Google, as a major player in the industry, it must move quickly.

The sector it’s competing in is evolving so rapidly that anything or anyone not keeping up risks becoming irrelevant.

Besides updating Gemini to Gemini 2.0 Flash, Google also said that Gemini's image generation capabilities now use the newest version of the company’s Imagen 3 AI text-to-image generator.

"This state-of-the-art model delivers richer details and textures, and follows your instructions with greater accuracy to help bring your creative vision to life," said Google.

Published: 
31/01/2025