Google launches ChatGPT alternative called Bard

Ask Bard anything. Image source: Alphabet.

In a blog post, Alphabet Chief Executive Sundar Pichai announced the launch of a conversational AI solution called Bard. Bard will compete directly with rival ChatGPT, an AI service created by OpenAI.

Powered by Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA), Pichai said that the company was opening Bard to “trusted testers” ahead of making it more widely available to the public in the coming weeks. This external feedback will be combined with the company’s own internal testing to make sure Bard’s responses meet a high bar for “quality, safety and groundedness in real-world information”.

According to Pichai, one of the most exciting opportunities Bard brings is how AI can deepen our understanding of information and turn it into useful knowledge more efficiently — making it easier for people to get to the heart of what they’re looking for and get things done.

Bard is powered by LaMDA. Image source: Alphabet.

Pichai added that AI-powered features would soon be rolled out in Search allowing users to distill complex information and multiple perspectives into easy-to-digest formats, so they 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.