Google has officially launched its own AI chatbot, Bard, which is set to rival the popular ChatGPT. However, unlike ChatGPT, Bard is only available to users over the age of 18 and is currently limited to the US and UK.

While ChatGPT has been generating buzz since its launch in November 2022, Bard has been in development for some time. It is a descendant of Google’s earlier language model, Lambda, which was never fully released to the public. Lambda attracted attention when one of the engineers who worked on it claimed its answers were so compelling that he believed it was sentient. Google denied the claims and the engineer was fired.

Bard is an experiment in generative AI, according to Google senior product director Jack Krawczyk. He hopes people will use it as a “launchpad for creativity” rather than a replacement for human intelligence. Bard is programmed not to respond to offensive prompts and has filters to prevent it from sharing harmful, illegal, sexually explicit, or personally identifiable information. However, Google warns that Bard may still share misinformation and display bias, as it “learns” from real-world information.

Bard has a “Google it” button that accesses search, allowing it to access up-to-date information from the internet. It also namechecks its sources for facts, such as Wikipedia. Bard’s knowledge database extends beyond ChatGPT’s and can access current information. For example, it can explain news stories like the recent TikTok ban on UK government phones.

Bard is an extremely cautious product launch, reflecting Google’s commitment to its AI principles, which include avoiding the creation or reinforcement of bias. The chatbot is not able to express opinions or take on a persona, although like ChatGPT, it can mimic the writing styles of others.

Bard’s launch is an important step for Google, which has been a slower and more cautious runner in the generative AI race. Its rival, ChatGPT, has already attracted more than one million users within a week of its launch, according to OpenAI, the firm behind it. Microsoft has invested billions of dollars in ChatGPT, incorporating the product into its search engine Bing and planning to bring a version of the tech to its office apps including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

As chatbots become more advanced, they have the potential to replace the lucrative business of internet search altogether. However, Google is not nervous about the launch of Bard. Its approach to the launch was “deliberate”, according to Krawczyk, who believes that large language models are here to help unlock creativity rather than replace human intelligence.

While the future of chatbots is uncertain, Google’s Bard is a significant development in the world of generative AI. Its launch will be closely monitored to ensure it adheres to Google’s AI principles and does not create or reinforce bias. While it may share misinformation and display bias at times, Bard has the potential to be a valuable tool for users over the age of 18 looking for up-to-date information and a “launchpad for creativity”.

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