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The AI chatbot trend was kicked off byChatGPT, and followed withMicrosoft’s Bing Chat.
Does it have anything new to say?
What Is Google Bard?
That’s the key toAI chatbotslike Bard: the training process.
Bard usesmachine learningto analyze text, then predicts the next word based on what it’s learned.
It’s essentially very fancy predictive text.
Bard puts words together in a way that mimics human speaking.
LaMDA is responsible for Bard’s human-like responses, while the information comes from the web.
Google Bard Hands-on
At the time of writing, you cansign up for the Bard waitlistatbard.google.com.
We have access to Bard already, so let’s take a look at how it works.
Bard’s user interface is very Google-y—lots of rounded corners, pastel accents, and simple icons.
It all starts with the text box at the bottom of the screen.
This is where you’re able to enter a prompt with your keyboard or voice.
You see a loading icon, and then Bard gives the full response.
After the response is given, there are a couple of buttons at the bottom.
One great feature Bard has is “drafts.”
I really like this feature as it means you essentially get three responses right away for every prompt.
However, you might reset the conversation with the “Reset Chat” button in the left sidebar.
ChatGPT can save and share conversations, but Google Bard can’t.
Google Bard sometimes cites its sources, but not always.
When it does, you’ll see a “Sources” box appear under the response.
Of course,just like ChatGPTand Bing Chat, Bard is not a factual source of information.
For example, it told me an Oreo cookie has a chocolate filling.
Sure, some Oreos have chocolate filling, but is that a defining characteristic of a classic Oreo?
Unfortunately, Google has not officially explained the Bard name.
However, it’s widely assumed to be a reference to the word that means “poet.”
Poets have a way with words, and Google is implying Bard does as well.
When Did Google Bard Release?
The first public demonstration of Bard leads toGoogle’s stock falling eight percent.
Does Google Bard Save Data?
At launch, Google Bard seems to be pretty far behind ChatGPT and Bing Chat.
The interface is nice, but it just doesn’t have the same depth of features and abilities.
It’s a bit surprising to see a Google product in this space feel so underbaked.
Only time will tell if Google can compete.
