le’s answer to ChatGPT, Bard is launched – Here’s how it looks //

Google is currently testing Bard, OpenAI’s answer to ChatGPT.

Sundar Pichai, Google CEO, announced today the soft launch Bard to a group of “trusted testers.” This showcases what this early experimental release looks and includes some examples.

This was obvious, as Pichai spoke of this during the Google earnings call.

How Bard looks

Let’s start with Google Search. This is what everyone has been waiting for. Let’s now look at some examples.

Here’s a screenshot that Google provided. This shows how Googe Search uses Bard for long queries to get an AI-generated response.

This image gives you an idea about how Google might integrate Bard directly into Google Search.

Pichai created

Google stated that these features would soon be available on Google Search.

Another Google screenshot shows how Bard may respond to your questions.

Bard is describing new discoveries from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, to a 9-year old. This is a more specialized interface that allows users to interact with Bard beyond Google Search.

This question is not easy to answer.

What is Google Bard?

Google explains that Bard, an experimental conversational AI service powered by LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications), is being developed by Google.

LaMDA was first announced at the 2021 Google I/O keynote two years ago as Google’s next generation language and conversation capabilities. It is being used now to provide these answers to searchers.

Google stated that Bard uses a lighter version of LaMDA and requires less computing power. Google claims this will enable them to scale to more people while also giving feedback.

Pichai also wrote

“Bard combines the wealth of knowledge from around the globe with the intelligence, power, and creativity of large language models. It uses information from the internet to deliver high-quality, fresh responses. Bard can provide an outlet for creativity and a launchpad to curiosity. It allows you to explain new discoveries from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, or to learn about the top strikers in soccer right now. Then, drills are provided to improve your skills.

Bard is experimental

Google used the words experiment, testing, and other variations many times in its blog post.

Google stated that they are excited about this “phase” of testing, which will allow them to continue learning and improving Bard’s speed and quality.

Who are the most trusted testers?

Google said they were not Search Quality Raters. They are an external group that is geographically and demographically diverse.

To help Google understand and improve the experience of real users, these testers test Google products. Google stated that they use a third-party supplier for this testing.

Bard will not be available for general testing until it is more widely available.

Citations and attribution

I asked Google about its plans for providing citations and attributions for the answers Bard gives to searchers. Google didn’t respond to my request for comment immediately after this article was published.

We care.

It’s fascinating to see the way that search engines and AI companies add human-like questions-and-answer responses for search queries. Google Search appears to have adopted a similar approach as ChatGPT so far. However, it’s early days and I expect the user experience to change quickly.

It is also interesting to see how Google might handle citation and attribution. Google has used AI to create knowledge panels over the years. This is why Google does not always show attribution on some knowledge panels.

Earlier reports

We reported earlier this week that Google has rumored started its own version called Apprentice bard. CNBC reported,

The search results will show a gray bubble under the search bar when a question has been entered. This gives more human-like answers than standard search results. The page also suggests several questions that can be followed up on the original one. It shows search results as well as links and headlines.

Google has responded:

“We have been focusing on AI development and deployment to improve people’s lives for a long time. AI is fundamental and transformative technology. It is extremely useful for individuals, businesses, and communities. As our AI Principles outline we must also consider the wider societal impact these innovations could have. We are continuing to use our AI technology internally to ensure it is safe and useful. We look forward to sharing more of our experiences with the public.

What about Microsoft ChatGPT?

Microsoft has invested heavily in OpenAI (the creators of ChatGPT). Rumours suggest that Microsoft will soon bring GPT-4 to Bing Search. These technologies are being taken seriously by many companies, particularly search firms, after the explosion of ChatGPT’s debut.

Recently, leaked screenshots were shown of Bing’s interface to ChatGPT integration.

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