Google-parent Alphabet joins AI chatbot frenzy by unveiling Bard
SANTA CLARA -- Not to be outdone by its rivals, Google-parent Alphabet on Monday unveiled a new chatbot tool dubbed "Bard" in an apparent bid to compete with the viral success of ChatGPT.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in a blog post that Bard will be opened up to "trusted testers" starting Monday, with plans to make it available to the public "in the coming weeks."
"AI is the most profound technology we are working on today," Pichai wrote. "Whether it's helping doctors detect diseases earlier or enabling people to access information in their own language, AI helps people, businesses and communities unlock their potential. And it opens up new opportunities that could significantly improve billions of lives."
Like ChatGPT, which was released publicly in late November by AI research company OpenAI, Bard is built on a large language model. These models are trained on vast troves of data online in order to generate compelling responses to user prompts.
"Bard seeks to combine the breadth of the world's knowledge with the power, intelligence and creativity of our large language models," Pichai wrote. "It draws on information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality responses."
Pichai wrote the Silicon Valley tech stalwart will also soon bring AI to its search platform.
"Soon, you'll see AI-powered features in Search that distill complex information and multiple perspectives into easy-to-digest formats, so you can quickly understand the big picture and learn more from the web: whether that's seeking out additional perspectives, like blogs from people who play both piano and guitar, or going deeper on a related topic, like steps to get started as a beginner. These new AI features will begin rolling out on Google Search soon. "
Monday's unveiling is also just the first step.
"We'll continue to be bold with innovation and responsible in our approach. And it's just the beginning — more to come in all of these areas in the weeks and months ahead."
