Is Gemini AI Safe? Tips for Parents

The current explosion in AI technology is transforming various aspects of our daily lives — from personalized online experiences to advancements in healthcare. It’s crucial that parents understand these developments, as AI impacts privacy, education, and job prospects. By staying informed, we can guide our children in navigating the digital world safely and responsibly.

What is Gemini AI?

Google Gemini AI is a large language model generative AI developed by Google. It includes a variety of models, each designed for a specific need. Gemini AI aims to enhance Google products and services by integrating AI capabilities to Google apps like Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and more.

Gemini AI is multimodal, meaning it can understand and process information beyond just text, such as audio, video, and even code. It can generate text, summarize lengthy documents, and answer questions on various subjects. This AI uses machine learning, meaning it’s constantly learning and improving by analyzing data received.

A free Gemini AI version handles basic tasks such as answering simple questions, summarizing text, and creating images. While the paid version, Gemini Advanced, allows access to Gemini 1.5 Pro, Google’s next generation AI model. It offers more in-depth explanations, advanced content creation, and can perform more complex tasks. This version can also recall up to one million token context window (text measured by words or punctuation marks) from previous conversations.

There are different Gemini AI models:

• Gemini Ultra – The most advanced model, it outperforms human experts on subjects such as medicine, physics, and math.
• Gemini Pro – With the best memory of any large scale model, it can remember up to two million tokens.
• Gemini Flash – Prioritizes speed and cost efficiency by giving quick answers to simple questions.
• Gemini Nano – A model that can be used on devices, no data network needed. Beginning in Spring 2024, Gemini Nano became available on Google Pixel devices and will roll out more broadly going forward. It’s clear that AI appears to be the way of the future so expect that most devices able to upgrade to Android 15 (due fall 2024) will have this version of Gemini.

What is the Difference Between Gemini and ChatGPT?

Both Gemini AI and ChatGPT are large language models with similar and impressive capabilities. However, Gemini AI is better at understanding complex information, and responding with comprehensive answers. ChatGPT on the other hand is more conversational and better at creative writing. 

Is Gemini AI Safe? Not for Kids

Gemini AI is an amazing tool but it poses some risks, so it can be dangerous — particularly for kids those who don’t have the tech maturity to navigate those risks. These include: lack of parental controls, data/privacy concerns, and the potential for misleading or biased information presented as fact.

There are no parental controls on Gemini AI, and any settings to control the type of content it generates are solely available on the interface that developers use. This makes it an unreliable and potentially dangerous product.

Like many large language model AIs, Gemini AI requires vast amounts of data for training (machine learning), which raises concerns about how user data is collected, stored, and used. Google has cautioned users to not share sensitive information with the AI, as human reviewers may come across it during AI training. For a child who is unaware of the severity of digital privacy concerns, this could be dangerous.

Gemini AI can generate summaries and search results, which is a very useful tool. But that also means there is a risk of it providing false, misleading, or biased information. This can have serious consequences, especially on young minds who may not yet know how to decipher truth from lies.

Parents Have the Final Say

Knowledge is power and tech should be approached gradually. By learning about the technological advancements of today, parents can be equipped and empowered to make the best decisions for their children.

If your child is interested in AI tools and you feel they are ready for it, use them together. This way a parent will be around to make any corrections needed if wrong information is given, and prevent kids from asking inappropriate questions, whether on purpose or not.

We are currently at the beginning stages of an AI boom. What these products can do is incredible, and will surely be a major part of our kids’ future endeavors.

AI can make things easier, including taking short cuts on school assignments. However, critical thinking, creativity, reasoning, and discipline won’t be learned through taking shortcuts. An overreliance on AI can be detrimental to their development. 

Have you used Gemini AI? What do you like or dislike about it? Let us know in the comments below!

Author Jackie Baucom

Jackie is a Gabb staff writer. She is the mother of four children and is passionate about keeping kids safe, happy, loved, and thriving. She has a degree in Mass Communication from the University of Utah.

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