🚀 Leveling Up: Exploring Generative AI with Gemini API in Vertex AI

I’m excited to share that I’ve recently completed the Intermediate-level course: Explore Generative AI with the Gemini API in Vertex AI, offered by Google Cloud in collaboration with Hack2Skill.

This program offered a hands-on deep dive into the power of multimodal AI and how the Gemini API can be used to build smarter, more interactive applications.

This wasn’t just a walkthrough of APIs — it was a complete experiential journey into what it takes to go beyond text-based interaction and build production-ready GenAI workflows. Here’s what I explored:

1. Multimodal Gemini Models

I worked with Gemini 2.0 Flash, a powerful, lightweight model designed for real-time multimodal tasks. It handles both textual and visual inputs, making it ideal for applications that combine image understanding with contextual responses.

2. Visual + Textual Analysis

Through structured labs, I got to feed the model both images and text prompts, and analyze how the model processes and responds to that combination — from caption generation to visual QA use cases.

3. Function Calling in Gemini

Function calling is one of the most exciting capabilities in LLMs today. I implemented Gemini’s function calling to enable dynamic behavior in GenAI apps, bridging the gap between inference and action.

4. Challenge Lab

To wrap things up, a hands-on challenge lab tested everything I had learned — designing multimodal prompts, debugging models, and integrating the API into a simulated application flow.

I’m proud to have earned the official Google Cloud Skill Badge, which validates the hands-on skills I developed during the course.

🔗 View the badge on Credly

https://www.credly.com/badges/463e92c4-b21f-409f-a176-334c172d6c18/public_url

With the fast rise of GenAI in real-world applications, this course empowered me to:

1. Build intelligent apps that work with images and text
2. Implement function calls that go beyond passive LLM interactions
3. Work confidently within Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform
4. Think in product workflows, not just prompts

This is not just about building with AI — it’s about designing human-AI interaction flows that are intelligent, scalable, and valuable.