Meet Bard, Google's answer to OpenAI's ChatGPT
ChatGPT's sudden rise to popularity has irked Google. In response, the tech giant has unveiled Bard, a new experimental conversation service. Powered by Google's LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications), Bard will be available to the public in the coming weeks, said CEO Sundar Pichai in a blog post. The unveiling of Bard comes ahead of Google's AI event on February 8.
Why does this story matter?
Many consider ChatGPT the next chapter in the evolution of search, and most believe that the AI chatbot will replace Google at the top of the search pyramid. However, Google isn't going to let anyone take a swipe at its crown without a fight. Google decided to prioritize its AI efforts and present something credible to soothe investors. Bard is a result of that.
Google has opened up Bard to 'trusted testers'
Bard is already available for "trusted testers," wrote Pichai. It uses a smaller version of LaMDA and is designed to put the "breadth of the world's knowledge" behind a conversational interface. The company has decided to go with a lightweight version of LaMDA as it requires significantly less computing power, allowing the company to scale to more users and in return get more feedback.
The company will soon introduce AI features to Search
In his blog post, Pichai did not announce any plans to integrate Bard into Google Search. At least, not for now. Instead, he said that Search will soon get AI features to upgrade conventional searching. For instance, these upcoming features will help synthesize a response when the user's query does not have a single agreed-on answer.
Search will be able to answer complex queries
Pichai provided some examples of complex search queries. For example, the question "Is the piano or guitar easier to learn?" would be met with "Some say the piano is easier to learn, as the finger and hand movements are natural... Others say that it's easier to learn chords on the guitar." AI features in Search will help users see the big picture.
Google will be bold and responsible: Pichai
Like ChatGPT's parent OpenAI, Google will also make the underlying technology available to developers. Pichai said that the company will start "onboarding individual developers" to test its LaMDA-powered Generative Language API starting next month. Pichai concluded his blog post by saying that Google will be "bold with innovation and responsible" in its approach to AI.
