Look, if youve read this column for long now, you know Im extremely guarded with my enthusiasm for Gemini and the other similar large-language-model AI answer-bots.Plain and simple, they just arent reliable as on-demand answer genies despite being positioned as exactly that and theyve got a nasty habit of coughing up inaccurate info with an astonishing amount of confidence.Ive said it before, and Ill say it again: If something is inaccurate or unreliable even 10% of the time (and thats being generous, in this instance), its useful precisely 0% of the time.But that foundational flaw isnt what I want to talk about today cause the truth is that for all of their weaknesses as information-surfacing systems, Gemini and its brethren do offer some genuine utility when it comes to other, more clerical functions. And plenty of folks are finding ways to work em into their workflow with lower-level tasks such as sorting through data and formatting spreadsheets (to name just a couple quick examples).Clearly, Google wants Gemini to become an indispensable part of our lives both professionally and personally, as evidenced by the way its Google+ing the service into our beaks at every possible opportunity. For as useful as it can be in certain limited scenarios, though, I cant help but think Google is shooting itself in the foot with the way its presenting Gemini in whats an almost shockingly obvious-seeming miss, especially when it comes to the kind of more mainstream, not-just-early-adopter embracing the company is clearly aiming to achieve.Let me show ya what I mean.[Get level-headed knowledge in your inbox with my free Android Intelligence newsletter. Tips, insights, and other tasty treats await!]Googles Gemini interface puzzleRight now, when you go to open up Gemini on Android on one of Googles own Pixel devices, youre greeted by a screen that looks a little somethin like this:The Google Gemini full-screen interface, as seen on Android.JR Raphael, IDGSee that little tool-tip at the top? More models available choose the one that best fits my needs, you say? Okay, cool. I can get on board on with that. Lets see whats available.A quick tap on that top part of the screen, and.Googles Gemini model list, from the apps Android interface.JR Raphael, IDGWhat. The. Schmidt. Is. This.To clarify, this is the standard Google Gemini experience not any sort of beta or early access setup. This is what anyone who buys a new Pixel phone or Samsung Galaxy gadget gets when they activate whats now their devices default and prominently promoted assistant service. Its also what anyone with any other Android device is now being pushed to use in place of the classic Google Assistant, with ever-increasing aggressiveness.And I dont think I can emphasize just how overwhelming of an interface is there and smacking you square in the peepers as soon as you take that step.Its not just on Android, either. You see the same selection when using Gemini on the web, too, maybe even with a more comically over-the-top appearance:The Google Gemini interface in a desktop web browser.JR Raphael, IDGSeriously what reasonably normal person who doesnt work within Googles engineering department could possibly parse this? And who would want to?Making sense of the Gemini model messFor context, what were seeing here is a list of every different version of Gemini Googles released over recent months. Gemini 2.0 is the current version, launched just last week. Within that 2.0 framework, youve got four different possibilities to ponder:2.0 Flash for everyday tasks, more features2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental best for multi-step reasoning2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental with apps reasoning across YouTube, Maps & SearchAnd 2.0 Pro Experimental best for complex tasksErm, right.Beyond that muddled mess, you can also choose to go back to the older 1.5 Pro with Deep Research version of Gemini for in-depth answers as well as the 1.5 Pro or 1.5 Flash model. Sure why not, right?Let me be as blunt as I can be about this: Mushy-brained of a mammal as I may be, Im someone who closely follows Google and studies its services as part of my job. Im more tech-savvy than most average animals (which isnt saying much, I realize, but even so). And Ive been immersed in this particular part of the tech universe for something like 7,947 years now.And yet, I couldnt even begin to tell you what all that stuff means, in plain English, or why you might want to pick one Gemini model over another. Heck, even after reading Googles 4,000-character oeuvre about all the ins and outs of this latest Gemini 2.0 edition, I couldnt explain to you what, exactly, makes it any different to use on a practical level compared to the earlier versions nor, after spending quite a bit of time testing it, could I identify to you how its done things any better for me in any meaningful, measurable, and specific way.And that, mdear, is absolutely hilarious to me because the entire point of Gemini is that its supposed to help us understand stuff and make our lives easier. But somehow, its very interface is so frickin complex and convoluted that we practically need another version of Gemini just to decipher it and help us understand which version of Gemini were supposed to use for what and why.The irony is delightful. But all bemused chuckling aside, its also a pretty serious problem.I mean, really: Imagine one of your less savvy co-workers or maybe even your wacky cousin Winslow from West Virginia following Googles prompts to try out Gemini and then encountering this monstrous menu of mumbo-jumbo. Theres no way theyd be able to make heads or tails of it, and Id be willing to wager theyd just close the thing once and for all the second they saw it.And thats to say nothing of what happens if they actually make it past that first impression and then realize theyve gotta keep wading through that labyrinth and figuring out the appropriate Gemini version every single time they come up with a new task or question.It just isnt a good experience by any measure but especially not for a service that promises to save you time and simplify your life. And that, suffice it to say, doesnt exactly jibe with Googles goal of getting everyone in the habit of using Gemini constantly across all of their devices.Heres the bottom line: Gemini isnt a beta-level experimental feature anymore. Its a prominent public service perhaps even Googles most prominent product at the moment. Its now a core part of the companys enterprise-focused Workspace offering. For Googs sake, there was even a Super Bowl ad about it. For individuals and companies alike, its clearly meant to be serious business and yet, it still feels like a clunky developer play-space.If Google really wants people to accept Gemini as an everyday tool for workplace productivity and beyond, theyve gotta make it more accessible and aimed at actual regular-human use. It needs to be intuitive, approachable, and easy for anyone to understand. And you dont need an accuracy-challenged AI assistant to tell you this isnt the way to achieve that.Get practical tips, personal recommendations, and plain-English perspective on all the latest Googley twists with my free Android Intelligence newsletter three new things to know and try each Friday.