Computers & internet

Google Unveils ChatGPT Rival

Published FEB 7 2023

Story

Image credit: businessinsider

The Facts

Google on Monday unveiled a new AI-powered chatbot tool, dubbed "Bard," in an apparent attempt to rival the recent viral success of the OpenAI-launched chatbot ChatGPT as well as Microsoft's confirmed plans to invest in the technology.
CNN
Google and parent company Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai announced the project in a blog post, saying the software will be available to a group of "trusted testers" starting Monday and more widely available to the public "in the coming weeks."
Verge
ChatGPT, which has surpassed 100M users in the last two months, is based on the GPT-3 language model, established from the 2017 Google-produced open-source "Transformer," a neural network architecture. Google's Bard, the product of language model LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications), is also based on "Transformer."
ETTelecom.com
Though AI stocks have jumped in recent weeks, ChatGPT's success, along with Microsoft's announcement Monday of an event to launch its own AI investments, saw Alphabet shares down 2% by the end of the day.
Business Insider
Google will initially operate on a "lightweight" version of LaMDA, described by one engineer as being so human-like he believed it was sentient, to allow more people to use the service.
BBC News
Microsoft is reportedly planning to integrate ChatGPT into its search engine Bing. This comes after the company invested billions in OpenAI.
BBC News

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

This news is the official beginning of the battle royale in AI between Microsoft and Google. Bard and ChatGPT are on the cusp of going toe-to-toe in the marketplace, with vast resources and financial investments behind each. While there are still unanswered questions surrounding AI ethics, it would be wise to follow the money if companies want to be at the forefront of the next technological awakening.

Forbes

Narrative B

While this is undoubtedly an exciting technology, it's too early to predict how it will impact the search landscape. AI is in its infancy, with many kinks still needing to be worked out. Any progress will likely be slow, casting doubts on whether an AI bonanza is truly around the corner. For now, Google is likely to keep its firm grasp on the market.

Market Watch

Cynical narrative

While our artificially intelligent offspring are in their toddler phases, once AI reaches adulthood, there will be a very significant chance that humanity will be relegated to family pets. Silicon Valley is currently reeling at the prowess of ChatGPT and its endless business opportunities, but the product has opened Pandora's box of existential fear over our future.