We live in an age of artificial intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT. Never in the history of the world has AI been able to augment the human experience more than it does now. With the introduction of Google Bard, the aid that AI gives has increased even more. Here’s a quick rundown of everything you should know about Bard.
What Is Bard?
Bard is Google’s newest AI language model, a competitor for other systems like Chat GPT. It is designed to help users expand their creative powers, replicating conversational formats and stimulating ideas and understanding. Use of Bard is free and widely available on a number of internet platforms. Currently, Google Bard is available in US English, Korean, and Japanese, and new languages will continue to be developed and included as the AI develops.
Is Google Bard Currently Available?
Google Bard, though initially only available on a wait-list basis, has now been open for a few months for use in more than 180 countries. Despite its months available for public use, users should keep in mind that Bard is still in an experimental phase. Google gives a disclaimer that Bard may give inaccurate information, so any responses it gives should be confirmed by outside sources. There are built-in safety controls and easily accessible feedback mechanisms, but users should be warned that offensive statements may sneak through.
What Does Google Bard Do?
In a manner similar to ChatGPT, Bard is designed to be a conversational AI chatbot capable of generating all kinds of text. Though still in its infancy, Bard allows users to collaborate in a conversational format, and it is geared toward creative stimulation. The innovation is meant to help boost user productivity, supercharge the imagination, and help users bring their ideas to life.
Bard is meant to generate all kinds of text. This includes condensing difficult concepts into digestible prose, drafting pro and con lists, and even planning your next birthday party. The language and creative innovations instilled in Bard’s inception are staggering, and the only limit should be information or responses that violate Google’s content policies. Bard is an improvement on the current Google Assistant.
Google Bard is meant to be a complementary tool to Google Search. The system even has a “Google It” button. While the goal is for Bard to generate original content, the AI also pulls information from the internet. Unlike a traditional Google search, Bard will not simply repeat large sections of text, and if it does gather its information from another source, it will cite the pages it references.
What sets Bard apart from other AI models is the extensive pre-training process that took place before Bard launched. During this phase, the AI was exposed to books, websites, articles, and scientific journals. This pre-training infused the system with an impressive and comprehensive understanding of language and the world in which we live, the objective being a more natural sounding voice and content that was relevant to users’ questions.
What Information Does Google Bard Gather from Users?
Like all Google innovations, certain pieces of information are collected as Bard is used. These include the user’s general location (ascertained by the IP address) and the user’s usage information, including the conversations with Bard. This information is only used by Google to improve user experience; it is never sold to outside parties. Still, it is unwise to include personal information in any such online forums.
Google retains the right to change its information-gathering policies, but it will not do so without informing users. If further user information is gathered in the future or if the use of that information changes, Google will be transparent with users so they can choose for themselves if they want to continue using Bard.
How Do You Use Bard in Chrome?
Google Bard has its own website where it can be accessed, but you can also interact with the AI through extensions for Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and other browsers. Bard for Google, ChatGPT.AI, and Summarize are all extensions that can be added to users’ internet browsers.
The site is accessed at bard.google.com, and if you get the Google extension, it will open with the ‘Alt + J’ shortcut. With the extension, the site will open in a new tab to the right of the active tab. In this way, users can utilize the benefits of Bard without interrupting their current task. To use Bard, users must be at least 18 years old and they must have a personal Google Account.
