GlossaryAI search
What is Google Gemini?
Also called: Gemini app, Gemini Apps, Google Bard
Definition
Gemini is Google's family of AI models and the name of its AI assistant app. Gemini powers Google's AI features and can ground its answers in Google Search results, showing sources for users to check.
Gemini (Google), explained
The name covers two things. Gemini models are the LLMs Google builds and offers to developers. The Gemini app (formerly Bard) is Google's consumer assistant, a direct competitor to ChatGPT and Claude. Google's AI features in Search, AI Overviews and AI Mode, are separate products inside Google Search, even though they're built with Google's models.
Gemini's Help Center explains that the app sometimes shows sources and related content within and below its responses, and offers a "double-check" feature that uses Google Search to find content likely similar to, or different from, statements in a response. Google also notes that even when sources are shown, Gemini can still get things wrong.
The control site owners ask about is Google-Extended. Google's crawler documentation says it governs whether content Google crawls may be used to train future Gemini models and for grounding in Gemini Apps and some Vertex AI products. It doesn't affect Google Search, including AI Overviews and AI Mode. So blocking it keeps you out of Gemini training and Gemini's grounding, not out of Google's AI search features.
For visibility, think of the two separately. In Google Search, including AI features, normal SEO applies. In the Gemini app, answers that search the web draw on Google's index, and your Google-Extended choice decides whether your content can be used for that grounding.
When tracking AI visibility, test Gemini as its own surface. It can answer the same question differently from AI Overviews, and it's where many Android and Workspace users meet Google's assistant.
Why it matters for founders
Gemini reaches people through Android, Chrome and Workspace. Knowing that Google-Extended governs Gemini grounding, not Search, lets you choose your AI exposure without risking rankings.
Example
A publisher blocks Google-Extended. Its pages still rank and appear in AI Overviews, but it notices Gemini app answers citing its competitor's guides instead of its own.
Common mistakes
- Confusing the Gemini app with AI Overviews and AI Mode.
- Blocking
Google-Extendedexpecting to leave AI Overviews. - Testing AI visibility only in Google Search and never in the Gemini app.
Sources
- Gemini Apps Help: View related sources and double-check responses
- Google Search Central: Google's common crawlers (Google-Extended)
Checked
Related terms
- Google-ExtendedGoogle-Extended is a robots.txt token that controls whether content Google crawls from your site may be used to train Gemini models and for grounding. It doesn't affect Google Search, including AI Overviews.
- AI OverviewsAI Overviews are AI-generated summaries Google shows at the top of some search results, with links to supporting pages. AI Mode is Google's separate, conversational search experience built on the same idea.
- AI Mode (Google)AI Mode is a conversational search experience inside Google Search for questions that need exploration, reasoning or comparison. It answers with an AI-generated response, accepts follow-up questions, and links to supporting web pages.
- GroundingGrounding is giving an AI model real source content, such as search results or documents, at the moment it answers, so the answer is based on that content instead of only what the model memorized in training.