Students have become attached to using ChatGPT over the past few years.  Students depend on it for a plethora of reasons, from being an editorial companion to a quick resource for facts.  

However, Wake County Public School System blocked ChatGPT in September, leaving students searching for an alternative AI chatbot. 

Gemini’s the main replacement for ChatGPT. Marketed as Google’s AI assistant, it shares many similarities with other competing chatbots.  One of Gemini’s greatest strengths, however, is its unmatched ability to interact with Google’s ecosystem.

The AI can collaborate and sift through information throughout Google services.  These include websites and applications owned by Google, ranging from Gmail and Drive to more recent ones, such as Calendar and Maps.  

According to the school system’s chief information officer, the county’s primary reason for emphasizing Gemini is Google’s data privacy and protection services. ChatGPT, developed by the third-party company OpenAI, has raised concerns about student data privacy and the potential for misuse, similar to the vulnerabilities exposed in last year’s PowerSchool hacks.  WCPSS already has agreements in place with Google pertaining to data privacy for students, making Gemini appear as a more viable choice for AI education in the grand scheme of things.  

However, the question asked: Is Gemini truly a better chatbot than ChatGPT from a student perspective?  The answer isn’t as straightforward as yes or no; however, each AI shows its own strengths and weaknesses. 

Many students have shown their disdain towards Gemini during the first few weeks of its use.  Citing how it doesn’t feel as “smart” or streamlined as its OpenAI counterpart. “I’ve used it a couple times (Gemini) so far, it just overall feels a lot less polished and different than ChatGPT. It’s still good at getting general information, but it feels like it’s lower quality,” said Eli Reese, a Senior.

Part of the reason Gemini may not feel as “smart” as ChatGPT is due to its creative engine.  Practical tests have shown that ChatGPT significantly outperforms its Google counterpart in creative writing, a key application of AI. 

Gemini can often be seen as overly concise and less stylized compared to ChatGPT.  If a student asks either AI to analyze and offer revisions for a project in their English class, they would be better off conferring with ChatGPT due to its more creative and less repetitive writing tone. “Gemini just isnt as good as ChatGPT, its newer and it feels like it hasn’t had as much innovation… from what I understand, it has lower parameters so it doesn’t write as well as ChatGPT,” said Nathan Trendowicz, a Junior. 

ChatGPT is also renowned for its code generation capabilities, although this feature is not often utilized in school by your everyday student. 

Gemini does have its upsides, however.  As a Google service, its ability to rapidly scour the web for credible sources is unmatched.  ChatGPT has its own software for online browsing, called SearchGPT, which utilizes a lesser-known service called Bing.  

Gemini quickly summarizes dozens of articles whenever a user searches something on Google, helping users retrieve data from search queries faster.  For Pro users, it also features a Deep Research mode, which breaks down a user’s larger query into smaller, more manageable subtasks. 

For students, the AI’s ability to rapidly analyze more reliable sources through Google’s browsing services gives Gemini a strong one-up on ChatGPT.

People who dislike using Gemini do have other alternatives.  Perplexity AI, a third-party AI service, has been making a name for itself.  “I don’t think Gemini is as smart (as ChatGPT), Perplexity AI is so good though… I like Perplexity because it reminds me of ChatGPT,” said Evan Eaton, a Junior.

There is no truly “better” AI service; it all depends on your needs. Despite Gemini’s flaws, it will still serve well as students’ new alternative to ChatGPT.