University of Minnesota students, faculty and staff systemwide now have access to Google’s latest AI assistant, Gemini.

Members of the University community can now opt in to use the suite of AI models as a part of their University Google account, as of July 15. Students and faculty can use Gemini to summarize information, write code, aid with research or answer a variety of different questions, according to the University website. 

The University joins Google Gemini’s nearly 400 million estimated monthly users, as other institutions across the country begin to utilize generative AI resources for innovation and learning.  

Since launching, nearly 5,000 University faculty and students have already opted in to use Gemini, according to University Office of Information and Technology communications lead Kellie Greaves.

Greaves said Gemini, as a licensed tool with enterprise-grade data protections, will benefit administration, teaching and research areas through efficiency and personalized learning. The artificial intelligence is effective at helping with a wide range of tasks, from generating things like quizzes tailored to an individual student’s needs to helping analyze large data sets when it comes to research, Greaves added. 

She said Gemini will provide University members who choose to opt in with a similar experience to ChatGPT, but with added data protections. She said a survey provided to the University by OpenAI in March of this year found 13,000 individuals at the University were already using the free version of ChatGPT, which highlighted the demand for a secure AI tool provided by the University.

Greaves said there remains a need for guidance for the use of AI tools within the classroom and for faculty, even as University members begin to use Gemini.