It looks like there are two different entities inside Google who provides AI products.
From a professional context for example, we are using in my company both Google Workspaces and GCP.
With Google Workspaces, we have including in our subscription Gemini, Veo 3, Jules, etc. Everything is included in a subscription models, rate-limited but unlimited. The main entrypoint is gemini.google.com
However, everytime we need to use the API, then we need to use GCP. It gives us access to some more advances models like Veo3 instead of Veo3-fast, and more features. It's unlimited usage, but pay-as-you-go. The main entrypoint is GCP Vertex AI
And both teams, Google Workspaces and GCP are quite separate. They often don't know really well what the others teams provides.
To add to the confusion, you can also just use Gemini via API (without Vertex AI). It shows up as a separate item in billing.
In the (latest, of three different) Go SDK, you can use either Vertex AI or Gemini. But not all features exist in either. Gemini can use uploaded files as attachments, and Vertex AI can use RAG stores, for example. Gemini uses API key based authentication, while Vertex AI uses the traditional credentials. All in the same SDK.
This sounds like par of the course for Google indeed, multiple teams creating the same products and competing without centralized product management or oversight.
Happens with their other products as well, eg their meet / chat / voice / hangouts products.
OT question about Google Workspaces:
What's the difference between My Drive, Shared Drives, and "Workspaces"? When would I want to use each in a team setup?
You can share things with anyone, even if you're using Google drive with a normal Gmail (non-workspace) Google account.
My drive are files you created / uploaded (and thus count against your space quota) and shared is where things go that have been shared with you by others, or public drive links that you've visited.
Workspace is a shared space private to the company/organization workspace group.
shared drives: owned by the org; potentially locked to teams/sub-org structures inside the org
The difference: suppose you're a startup and you use my drive only to save half the price of gsuite ($7 vs $14/mo). Your eng lead sets up engineering folder, etc. But that is owned by that user. If that person leaves, that folder will be archived or transferred to a designed person with access disrupted. Because it's owned by an user account, not the org.
From a professional context for example, we are using in my company both Google Workspaces and GCP.
With Google Workspaces, we have including in our subscription Gemini, Veo 3, Jules, etc. Everything is included in a subscription models, rate-limited but unlimited. The main entrypoint is gemini.google.com
However, everytime we need to use the API, then we need to use GCP. It gives us access to some more advances models like Veo3 instead of Veo3-fast, and more features. It's unlimited usage, but pay-as-you-go. The main entrypoint is GCP Vertex AI
And both teams, Google Workspaces and GCP are quite separate. They often don't know really well what the others teams provides.