What Is Google Bard?
Everything you need to know about Google's AI Chatbot
Google Bard is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot service that promises to rival the popularity of ChatGPT. While introducing Bard, Google's CEO Sundar Pichai called it an "experimental conversational AI service" that will boost Google Search when launched globally. A small group of trusted users is currently trying out the chatbot before it's rolled out to the broader public.
What Is It?
Like ChatGPT, you will be able to converse with Google Bard in complete sentences and ask factual and subtle questions. Its connection to Google Search should help provide the freshest and latest information. This timeliness of results is a distinction that will make it stand apart from ChatGPT.
For instance, Google says you can ask Bard to:
Plan a friend's baby shower
Compare two Oscar-nominated movies
Get lunch ideas based on what's in your fridge
Bard will simplify these complex answers and give you practical suggestions to apply.
Not all responses will be mere factual answers. Google wants to meet the expectations of searchers by offering deeper insights and in simpler words that can be understood by a nine-year-old.
Unless Google Bard is released worldwide, it's difficult to estimate its capabilities. Most of our current knowledge comes from Google's The Keyword blog post where the chatbot was announced. For users on the Google Search page, Bard is expected to follow the same conversational approach as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Bing's AI search. Additionally, it will draw on Google's huge search engine index while it uses artificial intelligence to synthesize fresh responses to any question.
Who Built Google Bard?
Google Bard is based on Google's longstanding work on language models since it open-sourced its first Transformer neural network architecture in 2017. Language models are AI and machine learning applications that synthesize vast amounts of text and predict the next words which help them carry out an open-ended exchange with the user. AI chatbots like Bard, ChatGPT, and Bing AI differ in the language models they use in the background and how they use it.
LaMDA (Language Model Dialogue Application) is the system that powers Google Bard. In these early versions, Bard will use a lightweight model version of LaMDA which will need less computing power, thus helping Google to scale to more devices and users. Google promises to work out any kinks so that AI answers meet its standards for "quality, safety, and groundedness."
As Bard evolves, so will the artificial intelligence tools that will run Google Search in the future.
How Does Bard Impact Me?
You will be able to ask Google Bard real-time questions. But unlike traditional keyword searches, your questions can also be complex and nuanced.
Google Bard will change your old search habits and the entire nature of online search. It will be integrated into every Google product like Android, Google Drive, and Google Maps. For instance, you can not only use it for a factual search ("How many keys does a piano have?") but also to understand deeper questions like, "Is the piano or guitar easier to learn, and how much practice does each need?”
The Bard will help you manage information overload by providing the big picture and the option to dive deeper into the topic. As it will be integrated into other Google products, you can expect Bard to help you find the best function in a Google Sheet or design quick Google Slides around content.
How Can I Try Google Bard?
Google Bard is only accessible to a small group of trusted beta testers. So, you will have to wait until this small group turns into a wider pool, or the AI is integrated into Google search on our devices. But thanks to the overheated competition, the launch is expected sooner than later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Google Bard be free to use?
Because Google Bard isn't out of private testing we can't say for sure, but we do expect Google Bard to be free to use just as Google's search tool is free to use. Again, we don't know for sure and we'll update this answer when we know more.
Does Google Bard have any competitors?
We expect there to be many AI-powered chatbots, but for now, the most well-known competitor is ChatGPT. Microsoft has let some folks use its new Bing search service which is powered AI, but it, too, is still in very limited testing.