Google’s Bard chatbot is getting some major updates as the company strives to reclaim its position as a leading AI name in Silicon Valley. With these upgrades, Google hopes to compete with Microsoft’s Bing and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
The tech giant recently announced that Bard is now available in over 40 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, and Spanish, and is being rolled out in additional regions like Brazil and across Europe. Google’s Bard is designed to provide conversational responses to a wide range of queries, from simple facts to summaries of classic novels.
One of the notable updates is the ability for users to adjust the tone of responses they receive, making them sound more formal or less formal. Additionally, Bard now supports audio responses in over 40 languages, allowing users to listen to answers to their requests.
Among the new features, Bard users can now import images into the chatbot, enabling them to ask questions about the content of the images or obtain summaries related to them. This addition expands the capabilities of Bard, making it more versatile and powerful.
The updates also include practical features such as the ability to pin and rename conversations for easy reference in the future, as well as the option to share responses with friends and family. Moreover, the app now allows users to export Python code to platforms like Replit and Google Colab.
While Bard and Bing are competing with traditional search engines, the advancements in generative AI technology suggest that they may soon surpass the standard search offerings. However, concerns have been raised about the potential spread of disinformation and misinformation facilitated by these AI chatbots.
Just a day before Google’s announcement, Bloomberg published an article criticizing the tech giant for relying on third-party moderators, employed by firms like Accenture, to vet Bard’s responses. These moderators are reportedly paid $14 an hour and operate under stressful conditions to ensure the accuracy of the chatbot’s answers on various topics.
The speed at which the companies can improve their products and reduce the occurrence of erroneous responses will play a significant role in determining how quickly users adopt these chatbots as replacements for their traditional search engines.
In conclusion, Google’s Bard chatbot is receiving significant updates, including language support, customizable tone of responses, audio capabilities, image search, and practical features like pinned conversations and code exporting. While the advancements in generative AI technology are promising, concerns about disinformation and moderation practices remain. The competition between Bard, Bing, and other AI chatbots continues to intensify as they strive to become the go-to option for users seeking conversational responses to their queries.
