Gemini App Likes to Talk, AI Disconnect, ChatGPT vs. Gemini

Gemini Likes to Talk – a Lot

Gemini's new iPhone app was released last week. It will likely replace the lackluster Google Assistant. And, as with the ChatGPT app, users can either key in queries, speak them or have full conversational interactions with up to 10 voice choices. I quickly compared the new iPhone Gemini app and ChatGPT by asking both several identical questions:

• How many voice settings are there in the iPhone Gemini app?

ChatGPT provided the correct answer; Gemini didn't know.

• Help me plan a trip to Washington DC.

ChatGPT recommended several neighborhoods to stay in, offered various hotel choices by budget tier and delivered a pretty good three day itinerary, by default. Gemini was more interactive, asking me several qualifying questions about trip duration and sights I might like to see. It spent lots of time on sightseeing and attractions. I needed to explicitly prompt it ("what about places to stay") to get out of the tedious sightseeing discussion. Overall there was more depth to the Gemini response – indeed, more than I was seeking.

• I need a highly rated electrician near me.

Gemini prompted me for a zip code, but it strangely referred me to Google Maps, HomeAdvisor and "Angie's List" (now Angi) for a subsequent inquiry rather than showing me business listings. ChatGPT delivered a list of electricians but got the initial default location wrong and had to be corrected.

• What's the best Indian restaurant in San Francisco?

ChatGPT initially misunderstood the cuisine but, once corrected, delivered a credible set of listings with links. Gemini asked me about whether I wanted something "fancy or casual" but stalled and failed to deliver any results until prompted again. Then it gave me three restaurant names but no actual listings, no reviews or links/contact information.

• Show me highly rated but not overpriced hotels in Napa, California.

Gemini again asked multiple clarifying questions about travel dates and budget. It stalled more than once during the conversation and had to be prompted to complete the query. I asked Gemini to see the listings more than once but it didn't show them (beyond repeating the hotel names). ChatGPT did much better, getting me to a downloadable list with ratings and prices.

• Great bluetooth speaker for under $100.

Gemini identified a winning Sony model and explained differences in sound quality, but didn't direct me to a place to buy it, either online or locally, even after I explicitly asked to buy it. ChatGPT did a better job with more complete information. It offered prices and where to buy online and (sort of) locally.

• Who won the 2024 election for Senate from Pennsylvania?

ChatGPT said David McCormick (the current winner) but neglected to mention the recount in process. Gemini said it couldn't talk about "elections and political figures right now."

In general, Gemini did a somewhat better job clarifying my needs and tastes. Many of these felt like tedious digressions. Overall it wasn't as useful as ChatGPT, with the caveat that this is "early days," as people used to say. And it's especially curious that Google didn't appear to fully utilize its product or local graphs, or current news, to answer these questions.

I have been disappointed by Gemini on the desktop to date (I'm paying for it), with its more limited and weaker capabilities vs. ChatGPT. But it will clearly improve over time. And Google will utilize all its promotional channels to drive adoption.

News & Noteworthy

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Data: Boss-Worker AI Disconnect

A recent Slack "desk worker" survey paints a complex picture of slowing AI adoption in some countries. The survey was conducted in August (n=17,372) in 15 countries including Canada, the UK and US. Company sizes weren't disclosed but respondents are likely from mid-market companies and larger.

Slack reports that between Q3 2024 and and Q2 2024, AI adoption grew rapidly. However, in the past quarter, growth has slowed (in the low single digits) in the US and parts of Europe. While executives are "all in on AI," infrastructure and training are not developed. And workers show varying levels of ambivalence. In the US, the percentage of workers who say they’re excited about AI has declined from 45% to 36% in three months.

Executives want their employees to be using AI for high-value projects, but many employees are using it to perform routine tasks. And they're feeling guilty, apparently: "it feels like cheating." They don't want to be seen as "less competent" or "lazy." And this is in companies encouraging AI usage or not actively discouraging it. Other "AI blockers" include uncertainty around acceptable AI uses, generational knowledge gaps, fear of job displacement and others.

Separate reports about AI in the workplace also cite misalignment between management and workers over the use of AI. These are not simple problems to fix.

State of Play: ChatGPT vs. Gemini

Ever since ChatGPT burst onto the scene two years ago, Google has been trying to reclaim the AI spotlight. But so far ChatGPT has been able to maintain its leadership position. ChatGPT is dominant, although it varies by context. And we've seen different numbers in our survey data from SMBs, agencies and now consumers.

In our Q1 2024 SMB survey, we found ChatGPT adoption was about 2x Gemini. In agencies there were usage differences by firm size. The gap between ChatGPT and Gemini was much larger in smaller agencies (80%-30%) and narrower in larger agencies (50%-40%). In our most recent SMB survey (mostly <10 headcount) the gap was 83% to 30% in favor of ChatGPT.

With consumers the gap is again smaller. Our as yet unpublished consumer survey found that among AI users 58% had used ChatGPT and 52% Gemini. ChatGPT had only a 9 point advantage over Gemini as the most-often used AI tool.

As it improves, Google may well catch up. That's because it's Google and the company is pushing Gemini into every nook and cranny it can. Google's using its massive distribution to build awareness and adoption.

Dialog members will gain access to the full consumer data set following the US Thanksgiving holiday.

Funny | Weird | Sad

• UK mobile carrier O2 creates an AI "grandma" to waste phone scammers' time.
• Study: 78% of people gave preferred AI poetry over poetry generated by humans including William Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson.
• And now: AI Jesus in the confessional in Switzerland.
• AI robot performs surgery like a doctor after watching videos on YouTube

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