What's changed: Created Generative AI Leader Chapter 2 (Domain 2 "Google Cloud's generative AI offerings": Gemini and models/Vertex AI = Gemini/Imagen/Veo/Chirp/Model Garden/Vertex AI/Vertex AI Studio; gen AI embedded in work = Gemini for Workspace/Gemini for Google Cloud/NotebookLM/Conversational Agents (Customer Engagement Suite); agents and grounding = agentic AI/Vertex AI Agent Builder/Grounding/AI infrastructure (TPU/GPU)).
2.1Gemini, the model family, and Vertex AI
Understand Google core generative AI model Gemini (multimodal), modality-specific models such as Imagen (image), Veo (video), and Chirp (audio), Model Garden for choosing among foundation models, and Vertex AI and Vertex AI Studio as the platform to build and use AI.
Google Cloud offers generative AI at the levels of models, platform, and apps. Leaders must choose "which service at which level" based on the use case and in-house capability. First, the core models and the platform to use them.
2.1.1Gemini and modality-specific models
Gemini is Google core multimodal generative AI model, generating/summarizing/classifying text and also understanding images and audio. Depending on the use case, there are modality-specific models such as Imagen for image generation, Veo for video generation, and Chirp for audio (transcription and speech). Model Garden lets you browse and use these diverse foundation models (Google, open, and third-party).
2.1.2Vertex AI and Vertex AI Studio
Vertex AI is the unified platform to build, tune, deploy, and operate these foundation models for business. It covers model selection (Model Garden), prototyping prompts (Vertex AI Studio), fine-tuning, grounding, and building agents (later sections) end to end. For quick experiments you try prompts in Vertex AI Studio; for production you embed them into apps on Vertex AI.
| Goal | Service/model |
|---|---|
| Text gen/summarize, multimodal understanding | Gemini |
| Generate images | Imagen |
| Generate video | Veo |
| Transcribe/generate audio | Chirp |
| Choose among foundation models | Model Garden |
| Platform to build/operate AI | Vertex AI (prototype in Vertex AI Studio) |
Common: goal → service. E.g., "text generation/multimodal" = Gemini; "image generation" = Imagen; "video generation" = Veo; "audio" = Chirp; "catalog to choose models" = Model Garden; "platform to build/operate AI" = Vertex AI; "prototype prompts" = Vertex AI Studio.
Watch the mix-ups: (1) Gemini = model, Vertex AI = platform to use them. (2) Do not confuse modality-specific roles (Imagen=image/Veo=video/Chirp=audio). (3) Model Garden (choose models) vs Vertex AI Studio (prototype prompts) differ.
2.1.3Section summary
- Gemini = core multimodal generative AI model; image=Imagen/video=Veo/audio=Chirp
- Model Garden = choose foundation models; Vertex AI = build/operate platform; Vertex AI Studio = prototype
- Separate the model (what to generate) from the platform (where to build)
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Quick check
(just a quick review)Q1. Which is Google core multimodal generative AI model that handles text plus images and audio?
Q2. Which Google model do you use to generate images?
Q3. Which Google Cloud platform builds, tunes, deploys, and operates foundation models end to end?
Q4. Which lets you browse and choose among diverse foundation models (Google, open, third-party)?
Q5. Before production, which do you use to quickly prototype and test prompts?
Q6. Which correctly describes the relationship between Gemini and Vertex AI?