A Deep Dive into Google Bard

Alex_Clark

Everyone is talking about ChatGPT these days. From marketers looking to create content in a flash to curious yet casual users just wondering what the buzz is all about, it seems as though everyone is using the new AI technology. But, ChatGPT isn’t the only AI chat service out there. Move over ChatGPT because Google’s own version of the powerful service is coming soon. While details are not totally clear yet at this time, Google’s Bard is a conversational AI chat service that pulls its information from the web. Bard is powered by Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA). Though it’s similar to ChatGPT, there are fundamental differences. In this article, we’ll cover the basics of Google’s exciting new AI platform, as well as dive into the similarities and differences between the two titans of the AI question-and-answer world.

What is Google Bard?

Many are familiar with ChatGPT but not familiar with Google’s Bard. In fact, even ChatGPT was unable to answer questions about Bard at the time of writing this. Whether that’s a result of limited information or intentionally designed is unknown. Using all of Google’s search results from the web, Bard will pull answers to queries. Right now, Google has restricted its availability to a select beta audience. The buzz around the new tool was heightened during Google’s February announcement.

Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai ramped up Bard’s development in 2022 after witnessing ChatGPT’s welcomed and successful launch. Google Bard was, however, not showcased to the public until 2023. But there was one small mishap. During the demo of Google Bard in February, the AI service answered a question about the James Webb Space Telescope incorrectly. This brought on much skepticism about Google’s new allegedly groundbreaking technology. If it answered something incorrectly in a demo, can we really trust it? In addition to implanting this kind of doubt into the minds of potential users, Google’s stock price fell.

How does Google Bard work?

Like ChatGPT, Bard was created to mirror natural messaging-based conversations. Conversational in function, Bard will allow users to type their question or request into a text box and receive a text reply.

Though it’s still early in the testing phase, Google has leaked some of its functionality to the public. Like many AI tools, Bard has been built on deep learning algorithms. LaMDA makes up the foundational large language model on which Bard was created. This language is unique to Google and has been integrated into Google’s services. For now, the company is releasing Bard on a more minimal version of the language to allow scalability in the long term and reduce resource consumption in the short term.

One of the more interesting features of Bard is its use of the immense volume of Google searches out there. Bard will pull its information from the Google search result pool. Using LaMDA allows for one other important quality unique to Bard. LaMDA was created with dialogue at the forefront of its function. In its development, the creators placed a high priority on the function of understanding the nuances of open-ended conversation. This will ensure that responses are meaningful, interesting, and of course, make sense in the way that humans communicate.

Will Bard replace ChatGPT as the go-to AI chat tool? Possibly. Though it’s late to the game, Google Bard has one advantage over the reigning champion. Bard will be launched with integration directly with search. With this strategic move, Bard will have massive exposure from the beginning. In fact, billions of eyeballs will potentially come into contact with Bard in its first month alone.

Google Bard vs. ChatGPT

Without a doubt, the two most prominent AI chat services right now are ChatGPT and Google Bard. While similar, they come with their differences. For starters, ChatGPT has started out of the gate faster than Google Bard. After all, ChatGPT was launched in 2022. But, that may have little impact on the end result. Since Bard will be built into the Google search engine interface, we may soon see Google Bard’s service flood with an equally impressive user volume to ChatGPT’s. ChatGPT’s integration with Bing pales in comparison to the behemoth of Google’s integration. Google’s AI-powered bot will add enormous value to the already impressive Google suite of services.

Both services are created on the backbone of natural language models and machine learning. As the name suggests, ChatGPT uses OpenAI’s Generative Pre-trained Transformer language model while Google is sticking to LaMDA. With ChatGPT’s reliance on GPT, it means that information used to pull answers to queries won’t be 100% up-to-date all the time. Meanwhile, Bard will be pulling information straight from Google’s search results which indicates a much more refreshed content pool. Like many of Google’s products, Bard will also feature a strict adherence to community and AI development guidelines. For free speech advocates, it begs the question: will Bard essentially deliver answers that are censored by community guidelines?

When will Google Bard be released?

Looking to constantly improve, Google will be ensuring quality control by collecting feedback from its users during the beta testing phase. They will combine that with internal troubleshooting and continue to iterate until there’s a version ready for mass deployment. When that is, remains to be known. Google faces two hurdles right now. First, they are trying to play catch-up with the increasingly popular ChatGPT. And yet, they want to make sure they do not rush their release so as not to release another AI product that suffers from the pitfalls of similar AI tools.

What does the future look like for Google Bard? Google looks to expand on the basic text information with video and audio results. In the beginning though, it will function much like ChatGPT in that it will respond to queries and suggestions with written answers. With so many powerful AI models within Google’s arsenal, the possibilities with Bard and Google as an AI powerhouse duo seem endless.