Google is opening up access to Bard, its new AI chatbot tool that directly competes with ChatGPT. This move comes as Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and other tech companies race to develop and deploy AI-powered tools in the wake of the recent, viral success of ChatGPT.
Bard is a chatbot tool built on a large language model, much like ChatGPT. It promises to help users outline and write essay drafts, plan a friend’s baby shower, and get lunch ideas based on what’s in the fridge. Users can join a waitlist to gain access to Bard, which will initially be rolled out in the United States and United Kingdom, with plans to expand it to more countries and languages in the future.
Google has stated that Bard will be a separate, complementary experience to Google Search. Users can also visit Search to check its responses or sources. The company plans to “thoughtfully” add large language models to search “in a deeper way” at a later time.
read also
- failed to access chatgpt
The immense attention on ChatGPT reportedly prompted Google’s management to declare a “code red” situation for its search business. Google unveiled Bard last month in a demo that was later called out for providing an inaccurate response to a question about a telescope. Shares of Google’s parent company Alphabet fell 7.7% that day, wiping $100 billion off its market value.
Like ChatGPT, Bard is built on a large language model. These models are trained on vast troves of data online in order to generate compelling responses to user prompts. However, large language models can present a handful of issues, such as perpetuating biases, being factually incorrect, and responding in an aggressive manner.
Google acknowledged in the blog post Tuesday that AI tools are “not without their faults.” The company said it continues to use human feedback to improve its systems and add new “guardrails, like capping the number of exchanges in a dialogue, to try to keep interactions helpful and on topic.”
Last week, OpenAI released GPT-4, the next-generation version of the technology that powers ChatGPT and Microsoft’s new Bing browser, with similar safeguards. In the first day after it was unveiled, GPT-4 stunned many users in early tests and a company demo with its ability to draft lawsuits, pass standardized exams, and build a working website from a hand-drawn sketch.
While Bard competes with ChatGPT, the two chatbots offer different features and experiences. Bard appears to be more focused on productivity and practical tasks, such as outlining and drafting essays, planning events, and getting meal ideas. ChatGPT, on the other hand, is designed to engage in open-ended conversations on a wide range of topics and to generate creative and imaginative responses.
The emergence of Bard and GPT-4 highlights the growing importance of AI chatbots and large language models in our daily lives. These technologies have the potential to transform the way we communicate, learn, and work. However, they also raise important ethical and social questions, such as the role of biases in AI, the impact of automation on jobs and society, and the need for transparency and accountability in AI decision-making.
As AI chatbots continue to evolve and expand, it will be important for developers and users alike to critically examine their capabilities and limitations, as well as their potential risks and benefits. The development of ethical and responsible AI is a shared responsibility that requires collaboration and engagement from all stakeholders.
