ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Google limits the AI models that free users can access.
- Only the Flash-Lite model will be accessible to free users.
- AI Plus subscribers also lose the Pro model.
Those of you who use Google’s Gemini app or website for free will soon be able to use just one AI model for your queries and conversations. And it is the weakest of the bunch.
In a new support document, Google revealed that free users will lose access to the Flash and Pro models starting Friday, October 9. Anyone without a paid Google AI plan will only be stuck with the lowest level and least robust Flash Lite model.
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And there is more bad news. People who subscribe to the cheapest Google AI paid plan, namely the $5-per-month AI Plus option, will lose access to the Pro model on the same date, leaving only the Flash and Flash-Lite variants.
The only bright spot here is reserved for users of the $20 per month AI Pro plan. When you subscribe to this one, you get access to Deep Think reasoning mode, which is currently only reserved for AI Ultra users who spend $100 or $200 per month for the privilege.
In a nutshell, a free user who needs Flash would have to pay for an AI Plus subscription. An AI Plus user who needs the Pro model must jump to a Pro plan.
How these changes will affect your AI usage
Why does all this matter, and how does it affect your use of Google AI in the real world? The answer depends not only on how often you use the Gemini app and website, but for what purposes.
You can use Gemini through four, or actually five, different plans or methods, each with greater access and more features. First, you can use it for free without any kind of paid subscription. Next, the AI Plus plan is a budget-friendly paid option. The AI Pro subscription is a higher plan for people with more demanding requirements. And the two AI Ultra plans are the cream of the crop.
Each plan currently offers three models to choose from: 3.8 Flash, 3.5 Flash-Lite, and 3.1 Pro.
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Flash is designed as a generalist, capable of handling the most common AI tasks, such as providing information, summarizing files, generating and analyzing images, and chatting.
Flash-Lite is a faster but slightly less capable version, capable of handling repetitive tasks but not adept at deeper knowledge and reasoning.
Pro is the most analytical of the three, solving more difficult and challenging problems, especially those focused on such areas as mathematics, logic and coding.
With the least expensive paid plans, Flash is typically the default and go-to model. When I use Gemini with my AI Pro account, Flash is the model that is automatically selected. For me, this is perfect for 90% of the tasks I run.
Free users usually see Flash-Lite as the default because their access to the other two models is limited. The Lite flavor should be sufficient for most general tasks, but not for any type of deep reasoning or complex problem solving, potentially putting many free users in a bind.
To make things just a little more complicated, Google says that each model now lets you choose an error level between low, medium, and high. The higher the level, the greater the model’s ability to complete tasks and provide more thorough answers to your questions. However, higher levels also chew up more of your limits.
Speaking of limits, Google restricts how — and how much — you can use Gemini. But instead of handing out access based on a specific number of requests or conversations, the company uses a calculation-based limit that is now refreshed every five hours until you reach your weekly quota. This means that your limits are based on the complexity of your request, the features you use and the length of your chat.
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Paid users naturally have higher limits than those without a subscription. Plus, premium models and tasks eat up your limits more and can cause you to hit your quota faster. Ask Gemini to generate a picture or video, use Deep Research or Deep Think, and tap the Pro model, use your limits faster than everyday chats and requests.
If you are confused and frustrated by all these changes and conditions, you are not alone. The more we demand from AI, the more companies like Google will curb or control our access, adding more complexity to the whole process.
The main highlight here is that Google AI subscriptions are given out on a monthly basis. So you can stay with free access or one of the paid plans and switch month-by-month if you find yourself too limited by your current level.