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Gemini is Google's answer to ChatGPT…but it’s much more than that. Finally, this piece of AI will replace Assistant on your Android phone. But Gemini is not limited to Android, as you can also use it through your web browser by going to gemini.google.com. And if that wasn't enough, you can also access it through the GNOME desktop, with the addition of a handy little extension and API key.
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Once added, you can click on the top bar icon, ask Gemini a question and the answer will appear in the drop-down list. Although Gemini is also capable of creating images, this extension does not handle this functionality well enough to be useful (instead, images appear as rows of black lines). Even with this issue, the extension is still a very convenient way to access the Gemini AI service.
Let me show you how to add it to your GNOME desktop environment.
How to install the extension
What you will need: To add this extension, you will need a Linux distribution with the GNOME desktop environment, the Firefox web browser, and a Google AI Studio API key (available for free).
On the “Gemini AI ChatBot” extension page, click “Install” and, when prompted, “OK” the installation (you may also be asked for your Linux user password).
Installation of the “Gemini AI ChatBot” extension requires the Firefox browser.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
The next step requires you to obtain a Google AI Studio API key. To do this, point your browser to the Google AI Studio. On this page, click Get API Key at the top of the left sidebar. On the resulting page, click “Create API Key” near the middle.
Also: What is Gemini Live? How Google's real-time chatbot competes with GPT-4o
When prompted, select “Generator Language Client” from the Google Cloud Projects drop-down list, then click “Create API Key” under “Existing Project.” Once the key is generated, copy it to your GNOME clipboard. To do this, click on the key (in the API Key column) then click on the “Copy” button.
Make sure you choose the correct entry from the drop-down list.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Click the Gemini extension icon on the top bar, then click the gear icon to go to the settings pop-up. In the pop-up window, paste your key into the “Gemini API Key” field. Once you have done that, click “Save”.
You can also choose to remember chat history (which will save it between connections).
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
I asked Gemini to define Linux.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
And that's all you need to quickly access Google's Gemini AI service from the GNOME desktop. Although the extension is more limited than Gemini on Android or the web, it's a great way to interact with it for quick searches and answers when a Google search is too long.
Take advantage of this new power.