Google witnessed Fear of Missing Out and it recently decided to unveil its AI chatbot known as Bard. The platform recently rolled out to the general public and it is in the experiment phase. Here is everything you need to know!
The heat of ChatGPT is getting popular each passing day and it has reached Google as well. That is why the search engine giant has decided to launch its version of the AI chatbot known as Google Bard.
With the new AI chatbot making headlines in the world, here is everything you need to know about Google Bard- what are its capabilities and how you can access it.
What exactly is Google Bard?
In its own words, “Google Bard is a large language model chatbot developed by Google AI. It is trained on a massive dataset of text and code and can generate text, translate languages, write different kinds of creative content, and answer your questions in an informative way. Bard is still under development, but it has learned to perform many kinds of tasks.”
Bard is an AI chatbot that has been created by Google to compete with other AI players. The platform was announced in February 2023 and users had to join a waiting list to test the capabilities of Google’s new initiative.
However, recently a company news article from Google, announced “As we continue to make additional improvements and introduce new features, we want to get Bard into more people’s hands so they can try it out and share their feedback with us.
“So today we’re removing the waitlist and opening up Bard to over 180 countries and territories — with more coming soon.”
Bard is separate from Google Search. Bard can code, solve math problems, and assist with writing needs, just like the majority of AI chatbots.
Google’s CEO mentions “Bard seeks to combine the breadth of the world’s knowledge with the power, intelligence, and creativity of our large language models. It draws on information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality responses.
“Bard can be an outlet for creativity, and a launchpad for curiosity, helping you to explain new discoveries from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to a 9-year-old, or learn more about the best strikers in football right now, and then get drills to build your skills.”
The platform opens up with a welcome screen displaying lots of prompts on the top one by one that showcases its capabilities.
Under the prompts, the welcome screen mentions “Meet Bard: your creative and helpful collaborator, here to supercharge your imagination, boost your productivity, and bring your ideas to life.”
Further, it informs users of Bard’s capabilities “Bard is an experiment and may give inaccurate or inappropriate responses. You can help make Bard better by leaving feedback.”
The AI chatbot then presents a consent dialog box stating “Bard is an experiment
As you try Bard, please remember:
Bard will not always get it right
Bard may give inaccurate or inappropriate responses. When in doubt, use the “Google it” button to check Bard’s responses.
Bard will get better with your feedback
Please rate responses and flag anything that may be offensive or unsafe.
Stay updated on Bard improvements”
And then below that is a check box that states “Opt in to receive email updates about Bard. Your personal data will be processed by Google LLC to send those emails in accordance with Google’s Privacy Policy.”
Unlike ChatGPT the platform doesn’t show prompt history on the left panel. However, there is an option known as “Bard Activity” that redirects to the prompts presented.
Bard allows you to control how your activity data is stored. You can choose to have your activity data deleted automatically after a certain period, or you can manually delete it at any time.
What does Bard run on?
The platform was based on Google’s large language model (LLM) which is LaMDA.
Bard was previously running on Google’s LaMDA language model, which was trained on a massive dataset of text and code.
However, it has now shifted to a newer and more powerful language model. PaLM 2 can generate text, translate languages, write different kinds of creative content, and answer questions in an informative way.
Sundar Pichai in the latest Google I/O mentioned “That’s the opportunity we have with Bard, our experiment for conversational AI, which we launched in March.
“We’ve been rapidly evolving Bard. It now supports a wide range of programming capabilities, and it’s gotten much smarter at reasoning and math prompts. And, as of today, it is now fully running on PaLM 2.”
How to access Google Bard?
Here is how one can use Google Bard:
- Access Google Bard through bard.google.com
- The platform requires a sign in so one can use their Google Account to access Bard
- Agree to the terms of service
- Start using Google Bard!
Upon accessing the platform it shows “I’m Bard, your creative and helpful collaborator. I have limitations and won’t always get it right, but your feedback will help me improve.
“Not sure where to start? You can try:
Tell me about the code within the google/jax GitHub repo
Write some lyrics for a heartbreak anthem titled “Lovesick”
What’s a fast, balanced, vegetarian meal for me to make? It should be high in protein and fiber. “
Google Bard differentiates itself from its competitors by providing multiple drafts of answers to prompts, as well as a “Google it” option to help users find additional sources of information.
Google Bard vs ChatGPT: Which is better?
Initially, ChatGPT doesn’t come with the ability to gather information from the internet whereas Bard works with internet access that gives it an upper hand over its rival. Bard is trained on a massive dataset of text and code that can fetch real-time information from the internet.
Here is an example- Both the platforms were presented with the prompt “What is the last hour stock news?” and these were the responses:
Bard- “Here are some of the top stock news headlines from the last hour:
“Tech stocks rise as investors bet on strong earnings: Tech stocks are rising in early trading, led by gains in Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon. Investors are betting that these companies will report strong earnings in the coming weeks.
“Oil prices fall as investors worry about global economic growth: Oil prices are falling in early trading as investors worry about the impact of rising interest rates on global economic growth. Crude oil is down about 2% to $105 per barrel.
“U.S. stocks open higher as investors digest Fed minutes: U.S. stocks are opening higher as investors digest the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting. The minutes showed that the Fed is committed to raising interest rates to combat inflation.
“Bitcoin falls below $30,000 as investors sell off risky assets: Bitcoin is falling below $30,000 as investors sell off risky assets. The cryptocurrency is down about 10% in the last 24 hours.
U.S. dollar index rises as investors seek safety: The U.S. dollar index is rising as investors seek safety. The dollar is up about 0.5% against a basket of currencies.
“These are just a few of the top stock news headlines from the last hour. For more information, please visit your favorite financial news website.”
ChatGPT- “I apologize, but as an AI language model, I don’t have real-time data or browsing capabilities to provide you with the latest stock news. Stock market information is time-sensitive and constantly changing.
“It’s best to refer to financial news websites, specialized stock market platforms, or consult with a financial advisor for up-to-date and accurate information on stock news. Some popular financial news websites include:
“CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/
Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/
Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/
Yahoo Finance: https://finance.yahoo.com/
Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/
MarketWatch: https://www.marketwatch.com/
These platforms provide comprehensive coverage of stock market news, analysis, and real-time updates.”
Apart from this Google Bard lacks behind in providing sources. A test prompt was presented stating “Give me sources about Indian History with links” and here are the responses:
Bard- “I’m a text-based AI and can’t assist with that.”
ChatGPT- “I apologize for any confusion. As an AI text-based model, I don’t have direct browsing capabilities to provide you with live links.
“However, I can still provide you with the names of some reputable sources for Indian history along with their official websites. You can search for these sources on your preferred search engine to access their content. Here are some examples:
“National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT): Official website – https://ncert.nic.in/
“NCERT textbooks are widely used in schools and provide a comprehensive overview of Indian history.
“Archaeological Survey of India (ASI): Official website – https://asi.nic.in/
“The ASI is responsible for archaeological research and preservation of historical sites in India.
Indian History and Culture by Majid Husain: Book available on various online bookstores.
“This book is a popular choice for studying Indian history and provides a comprehensive understanding of the subject.
“Oxford University Press India: Official website – https://www.oup.co.in/
“Oxford University Press publishes a range of books on Indian history, covering different periods and aspects.
“JSTOR: Website – https://www.jstor.org/
“JSTOR is a digital library that offers a wide range of academic articles and research papers on various subjects, including Indian history.”
While ChatGPT doesn’t have real-time internet access, it still offered some sources through which Indian History can be accessed.
Another factor that makes Bard better than ChatGPT is that it can be accessed with voice prompts. This is a convenient way to get responses while multitasking, and it is likely the first time that voice has been used as a prompt on an AI chatbot.
Google has focused on improving the user experience for Bard by offering an option to export the response in Google Docs or as a Draft in Gmail. This is a convenient feature that allows users to save their responses for later or to share them with others. ChatGPT does not offer this feature, which makes Bard a more user-friendly option.
The ongoing debate between ChatGPT and Bard revolves around their unique strengths and areas of improvement. Both AIs are continually evolving, driven by the pursuit of enhancing their capabilities and understanding of human language.