3 new tricks to try with Google Gemini Live after its latest major upgrade

Gemini Live is the more conversational and natural language way to interact with the Google Gemini AI Bot using your voice. The idea is you chat with him like you’re chatting with a friend, interruptions and all, even though the actual responses are the same as you’d get typing your queries into Gemini as usual.

Now, about a year and a half after its debut, Gemini Live has received what Google describes as its “biggest update ever”. The update makes Gemini Live mode even more natural and conversational than before, with a better understanding of tone, nuance, pronunciation and rhythm.

There is no real visible indication that anything has changed, and often many answers will also seem the same as before. However, there are some areas where you can see the difference the latest upgrade makes. So here’s how to get the most out of the new and improved Gemini Live.

The update is rolling out to Gemini on Android And iOS. To access Gemini Live, launch the Gemini app, then tap the Live button in the lower right corner (it vaguely resembles a sound wave) and start speaking.

The Gemini Live interface.David Nield

Listen to some stories

Gemini Live can now add more thrills and variations to its storytelling capabilities, which can be useful for history lessons, kids’ bedtime, and creative brainstorming. The AI ​​will even add different accents and tones where appropriate to help you distinguish characters and scenes.

One of Google’s examples of how this works best is to ask Gemini Live to tell you the story of the Roman Empire from the point of view of Julius Caesar. This is a challenge for Gemini that requires some leaps of perspective and imagination, as well as using tone and style appropriately, in a way that Gemini Live should now be better at.

You don’t have to limit yourself to Julius Caesar or the Roman Empire either. You could ask Gemini Live to tell you Pride and prejudice from the perspective of each Bennett sister, for example, or ask the AI ​​to narrate what life would have been like in your part of the world 100, 200, or 300 years ago.

Learn some skills

Another area where Gemini Live’s new capabilities make a notable difference is in education and explanation: you can ask it to give you a crash course (or a longer tutorial) on any topic you want, from the intricacies of human genetics to the best ways to clean a carpet. You can even get Gemini Live for teach you a language.

The AI ​​can now go at the pace that suits you, which is especially useful when you’re trying to learn something new. If you need Gemini Live to slow down, speed up, or repeat something, just say so. If you only have a certain amount of free time, let Gemini know when you chat with him.