Bard is Google’s new chatbot released in February 2023, and arrived in Italy in July.
Just like its direct competitor, Chat GPT, it is a tool based on artificial intelligence and self-learning.
Created on the PaLM 2 model developed by Google AI to enhance the conversational capabilities of chatbots, it enables them to understand queries and respond naturally during interactions with users.
The term “Bard” refers to the storyteller of Celtic tradition. Indeed, Google’s chatbot aims to assist humans with great precision and creativity.
What can you do with Google Bard?
Available in more than 230 countries and more than 40 languages, Google Bard chatbot, allows you to:
- Generate explanatory texts, e-mails, songs and poems, from user-supplied information;
- Answer queries;
- Translate texts from one language to another;
- Create posts for social networks;
- Perform mathematical calculations and generate graphs;
- Program in more than 20 programming languages.
Differences between Chat GPT and Bard
Both tools are AI-based chatbots, but there are differences between the two.
First of all, Bard is a totally free tool, while for Chat GPT there is both a freemium and premium version, which generates more accurate and faster responses.
While Bard derives its information from the Google database, and thus draws from a very large pool of information, Chat GPT uses the Open AI database, which allows answering only pre-2021 queries. Consequently, Bard turns out to be significantly more up-to-date and is able to provide recent information as well.
Moreover, the Google chatbot, by leveraging the search engine, is also able to show the user explanatory images, as well as read aloud and indicate the source from which it generated the answer.
However, just a few days ago, OpenAI announced that Chat GPT will introduce new features. These include the possibility to ask questions directly to the chatbot by voice and listen to its answers through a text-to-speech function, as well as the ability to upload images and get detailed information about them.
Google Bard Extensions
With the latest updates and the installation of extensions, you can use Bard directly from applications within the Google Suite, in order to access Bard’s information and functionality more easily and quickly.
For example, you can ask Bard to search within your inbox, find a file in Drive, search for flights in Google Flights, or schedule appointments in Calendar.
Bard and privacy
According to Google‘s own specifications, this chatbot respects users’ privacy, although it does capture some information such as conversations with Bard, user location, feedback, and service usage data. This data is used to refine Bard’s machine learning process, making it more accurate and functional
Similarly, Google reassures its users by claiming that it does not use personal information for advertising purposes and does not give the information away to third parties. It uses tools to remove personally identifiable information from conversations with Bard, and that it limits access to conversations with the chatbot to only experienced reviewers.
Overall, Google Bard would seem to be a secure application that protects the privacy of its users. However, it is always important to be aware of the potential risks associated with using any online tool and then take appropriate precautions.
Limitations of Bard
Google Bard is still in an experimental stage, so its accuracy and reliability may still be limited.
We therefore advise you not to accept the answers it provides uncritically, but to also seek information from reliable sources that allow you to verify what it says.
It is a very powerful tool that is revolutionizing and will revolutionize our daily lives, but it is essential to be aware of its limitations and use it conscientiously.
