Google Unleashes Gemma 3: The AI That Fits in Your Pocket

Google just launched Gemma 3, the latest version of its "open" AI model. This new release packs a serious punch - it can analyze text, images, and videos while running on devices as small as your phone.

The tech giant claims Gemma 3 outsmarts rivals like Facebook's Llama and OpenAI when running on a single GPU. It's like fitting a supercomputer into a matchbox, only this one speaks 35 languages fluently.

Google didn't skimp on safety features either. The new ShieldGemma 2 acts like an overzealous bouncer, filtering out explicit, dangerous, or violent content before it crashes the party.

The company's marketing folks are doing backflips over Gemma's previous success - apparently, developers have downloaded it over 100 million times. That's a lot of artificial intelligence floating around in the wild.

Academics haven't been left out in the cold. Google's throwing $10,000 worth of cloud credits at researchers who want to tinker with their new toy. It's like a scholarship program for robots.

Meanwhile, debates rage on about what makes an AI model truly "open." Google's license still keeps a tight leash on what users can do with Gemma. Some might say it's about as open as a speakeasy during prohibition.

Why this matters:

• Google just proved you don't need a warehouse full of computers to run sophisticated AI
• The race for "democratic AI" continues, even if Google's version of democracy comes with an asterisk

Read on, my dear:

• Google: Technical Report (26 pages)
• Hugging Face: Welcome to Google