Google Launches AI Chatbot Bard in US, UK

    Photo: AFP/Getty Images [via The Guardian]

    The Facts

    • On Tuesday, Google announced that its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, Bard, will be available to the public on a rolling basis in the US and UK. The company, which has been developing Bard for years, said it’s still an “early experiment.”

    • Bard can give creative responses to detailed questions in English and engage in back-and-forth conversations. Examples have included helping plan a birthday party and a vacation with children to Tokyo.


    The Spin

    Narrative A

    Google might be rushing out Bard too soon because of pressure from its competitors. It was already walking a fine line, hoping it doesn’t lose users of its profitable search business to the AI bot. Now it also has to worry about a misinformation problem that could tarnish the company’s reputation. Google might regret not waiting for Bard to be near-perfect while the other companies struggle through their AI rollouts.

    Narrative B

    Google may as well get out in front of the AI race because it has something the other companies don’t – a leading search engine that can be a backup for mistakes Bard makes or information it can’t find. For now, Bard is a complement to search. But as it works out the kinks, Google may have just started the future of search.



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