Unveiling Google Bard: Your AI Chat Companion

In the present day, Google is fully embracing the power of AI, and at the forefront stands Google Bard. This is no ordinary chatbot; it's an AI chatbot developed by Google, poised to rival the ever-popular ChatGPT.

Yet, while it shares similarities with ChatGPT, Google has invested profoundly in this field. They've already introduced substantial enhancements to Bard, propelling it beyond ChatGPT's capabilities.

What Exactly is Google Bard?

Much like ChatGPT, Google Bard is a conversational AI chatbot capable of generating various forms of text. You can pose questions within the boundaries of its content guidelines, and Bard will readily provide answers. Although not officially a replacement for Google Assistant, Bard offers a significantly more potent AI assistant.

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This elevated prowess is rooted in its foundation—the Google Large Language Model (LLM), known as LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications). Similar to OpenAI's GPT-3.5 that powers ChatGPT, LaMDA has been trained by Google on vast parameters, enabling the AI to grasp natural language independently. The outcome is a chatbot capable of delivering remarkably natural and conversational responses.

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LaMDA was initially introduced at Google I/O in 2021, but it remained an experimental prototype, withheld from the public. Following the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, Google swiftly worked to unleash a LaMDA-powered chatbot that could stand its ground. The result: Google Bard, announced in February 2023.

Can You Access Google Bard?

After the initial announcement, Google Bard was initially limited to a select group of users, accessed through a waitlist-based queue. However, the tide turned at Google I/O 2023, as the company declared Bard's availability to all, spanning 180 countries and territories globally.

Moreover, Google Bard now supports Japanese and Korean languages, with plans to expand its language coverage to around 40 languages in the near future, as stated by Google.

Although labeled as an “experiment,” Bard is now accessible to anyone who wishes to engage with it.

Using Google Bard: How To

Engaging with Google Bard is straightforward. Visit bard.google.com and log in with your Google account, following which you'll need to accept the terms of service. Once you proceed, you can swiftly delve into the world of Google Bard. Just like ChatGPT, Bard presents an empty text field stating “Enter a prompt here.” Key in your query or prompt, and Bard will promptly respond.

Helpfully, Google provides a variety of random ideas to jumpstart your interactions, with each session offering fresh suggestions. For instance, the initial suggestion was, “What's a fast, balanced, vegetarian meal for me to make? It should be high in protein and fiber.” Bard instantly supplied a list of five diverse meals, including tofu scramble, lentil soup, and vegetarian stir-fry. From there, you have the flexibility to lead the conversation wherever you please, be it seeking more meal ideas or alternative recipes for the same dish.

Beyond the basics, Google Bard boasts noteworthy features that set it apart from other chatbots. Following each response, Bard presents two additional “drafts” of the same answer. Click on View other drafts to access these alternatives. One draft might offer an intricate recipe, while another could be a slightly tweaked version of the initial response. You can even hit Regenerate drafts to prompt Bard for another response attempt. However, regenerating drafts frequently yields comparable outcomes. It's often more effective to edit the prompt using the pencil icon or introduce a fresh prompt for improved responses.

All your interactions with Bard appear in a continuous scrolling window, which is wiped upon closing. While you can see and delete prompts under “Bard activity” in the sidebar, the actual responses from Bard aren't accessible. Fortunately, Google facilitates exporting responses directly to Gmail or Google Docs. For coding purposes, exporting to Replit is an option. Click on the share icon beneath a Bard response, and select your preferred export destination.

Lastly, there's a Dark Mode available, activated by toggling the switch at the bottom left of the sidebar.

Google Bard's Versatility

Google Bard serves a plethora of applications. With AI chatbots like Bard, possibilities are boundless. It excels as a brainstorming tool, an outliner, and even a collaborator. People have employed it for crafting essays, articles, emails, and engaging in creative pursuits such as crafting stories and poems.

Furthermore, as of more recent times, you can employ Bard to code and debug, broadening its utility even further.

However, Google advises against relying solely on Bard's text output for final products. It's wise to regard Bard's text generation as a stepping stone.

Challenges and Controversies Surrounding Google Bard

Unlike ChatGPT, Google Bard taps into the entirety of the internet's resources. This enables referencing contemporary events and up-to-date context. Yet, this doesn't guarantee complete accuracy. Google acknowledges Bard's susceptibility to inaccuracies.

During its initial unveiling on February 6, 2023, Google Bard erred in response to a question about the James Webb Space Telescope's recent discoveries. It incorrectly asserted to be the first entity to capture an image of an exoplanet outside our solar system, a feat accomplished years earlier.

This confident display of incorrect information led to sharp criticism and prompted parallels with ChatGPT's limitations. Google's stock price even took a hit in response.

However, the most noteworthy limitation of Bard lies in its inability to retain conversations. While you can export chats, closing the window results in their permanent loss.

Is Google Bard Superior to ChatGPT?

Both Google Bard and ChatGPT utilize natural language models and machine learning to fuel their chatbots, but their feature sets differ. As of writing, ChatGPT predominantly relies on data collected up until 2021, while Google Bard can incorporate current information and freely search the internet for responses. Given its direct internet connectivity, Bard includes a “Google it” button for related searches—a substantial advantage over ChatGPT.

On the flip side, ChatGPT excels in answering conversational questions and exhibits prowess in creative tasks. According to Google, ChatGPT currently outshines Bard in answering queries naturally.

A recent report even indicated that Bard was trained using ChatGPT data without permission. While Google has denied these allegations, CEO Sundar Pichai suggested that Bard would undergo updates to bolster its competitiveness with ChatGPT, referring to Bard as a “souped-up Civic compared to ChatGPT.” This statement predates the Google I/O announcements, so the real-world impact of these updates remains to be seen.

Crucially, ChatGPT possesses the ability to archive all conversations, neatly organized in the sidebar under “conversations.” At present, Bard offers export functionality for chats, but lacks a dedicated save feature. While I appreciate Bard's draft function, ChatGPT holds the edge in terms of long-term usability.

Google Bard Ventures into Text-to-Image Creation

Google has revealed plans to introduce text-to-image creation directly within Bard, much like Bing Chat. While Microsoft's Bing Image Creator draws from Dall-E, Bard's text-to-image capabilities will arise from a partnership with Adobe.

Termed “Firefly,” Adobe's text-to-image generative tool is being integrated into various Adobe creative applications, commencing with Adobe Express. Firefly draws on Adobe's own stock image library to sidestep ethical and legal image accreditation concerns.

Announced at Google I/O 2023, text-to-image generation was expected in the ensuing weeks. However, as of writing, text-to-image generation does not appear to be accessible. Presently, when prompted to “create an image of a bird in a forest,” Bard responds with “That's not something I'm able to do yet.”

Furthermore, Bard currently supports images in responses, including images from Google Search and the Knowledge Graph.

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