As AI technology continues to rise, the competition for acquiring the most user base between tech companies also increases.
And Google didn’t let it slide when Microsoft made a massive decision to integrate ChatGPT into its operating system.
So, as a response, the former developed their own generative AI, Bard, to compete with Microsoft’s ChatGPT.
However, given its progress, is Bard really the right answer for Google? Well, let’s dive in to learn more!
About Google Bard
Google’s Bard is an AI-powered chatbot that allows users to communicate and collaborate with the company’s generative AI technology.
It is powered by a research large language model (LLM), which serves as the back-end engine of Bard that generates answers for users when given a prompt.
And by taking note of its overall functionality, people can use it to maximize their productivity and get information faster instead of searching throughout the web.
So basically, it functions the way ChatGPT does when you think of it in a broad approach.
What Benefits Can We Get From Bard?
Aside from its expected AI benefits, Bard also has its own technical features that allow better optimization in its platform.
And these are features that ChatGPT mostly lacked, such as:
1. User-friendly Interface
Unlike ChatGPT’s interface, Bard mainly follows Google’s “material design” philosophy, which aims to provide convenient and satisfactory usage for people.
These include smooth animations and designs that are simple yet pleasing to the eyes. People can also switch between light and dark modes to see which lighting they prefer when using the platform.
2. Audio Input
This is another notable feature that Bard has compared to ChatGPT since the latter doesn’t provide a direct way of allowing users to voice out their prompts.
Contrary to what ChatGPT currently has, Bard enables people to enter their prompts using their voices by clicking the mic button in the text field.
Once you’re done, Bard will then do its magic for you.
3. View Multiple Drafts
When you assign ChatGPT to create a draft for you, whether an essay, letter, or speech, you can only rely on a single draft response unless you prompt it to do another.
However, in Bard’s case, it creates multiple drafts that correlate with your prompt simultaneously.
This way, you can save yourself some time and effort by viewing another draft that corresponds best with your prompt and interest.
4. Google It Feature
Another significant aspect of Bard is its own validator.
With a simple click of its Google It button, people can double-check the source of information in Bard’s responses and refer its legitimacy there.
5. Location-sensitive and Up-to-Date service
This last feature of Bard stands out from other AI generators because it will not only provide vague responses, but it’s also capable of giving you the latest answers relevant to your location and context.
So, if you’re looking to rent hotels in Manila, it will not recommend hotels in other places outside of Manila.
These are some of the advantageous traits that Google Bard has compared to other generative AI platforms.
Before you use it, let’s emphasize some of its downsides. Now,
WHAT ABOUT ITS DRAWBACKS?
Given that you’ve already read some of its benefits, why are people not using Bard yet?
Just like ChatGPT and other AI technologies, Bard is still currently in development and hasn’t been applied yet in Google’s workstations.
Although people can access it in beta mode, using it now as your primary source of information gives you high risks of false information and various misinterpretations.
In fact, Bard provided a factual error during its first demo in front of a public audience, which sparked a $100 billion loss in its parent company’s shares.
So, it’s best to stay patient at the moment and wait until Google finally corrects and polishes Bard for public use.
THINGS TO TAKE NOTE OF
As we’ve indicated in our past articles, it’s not ideal to entirely rely on AI technology when completing your tasks.
This concept also applies to Bard, especially right now, since it’s currently behind the race compared to ChatGPT’s progress.
Instead, use it as your guide – a tool for providing references to draw your answers and conclusions for your work.
But never let your guard down, and always make sure to double-check responses to prevent any possible problems from arising.
CONCLUSION
Bard might be a good move for Google to combat Microsoft’s ChatGPT, but it still needs more time to develop.
After all, AI technology is not entirely about being early but about helping people achieve tasks with convenience and factual information.
That’s it for now! If you want to learn more about AI, you can read our latest articles here.