Google launches Bard, an AI-powered chatbot competitor of ChatGPT. The company will release the tool to a group of trusted testers before it becomes more widely available in the coming weeks.
It uses a version of LaMDA, the firm’s large language model, which made headlines last year when one engineer said it was sentient. It will require less computing power than its predecessor, which means it can serve more users and improve with feedback.
What is Google Bard?
Bard is Google’s new AI chatbot, which has the potential to compete with ChatGPT. The company is introducing it to select testers in the coming weeks, according to CNBC.
Bard’s underlying technology is based on Google’s Language Model for Dialogue Applications, or LaMDA, which it unveiled two years ago. It previously used to power Google’s first chatbot, called Meta, which deemed sentient after users shared it on social media.
Using LaMDA, Google has developed large language models that can understand multiple perspectives and respond to questions. In addition to Bard, Google is planning to launch AI-powered features on its search engine.
LaMDA
The company is also developing a Generative Language API, which will provide a range of language models based on LaMDA to developers and businesses. These will be power by smaller versions of LaMDA than the ones used in Bard, reducing computing power and reaching a wider audience.
It will also rely on external feedback from users with its own internal testing to ensure that Bard’s responses meet a high standard and are based on real-world information. While Pichai says Bard will still be able to make mistakes, they will be more likely to be small and less dangerous.
This will make it easier for Bard to reach a larger audience, and will give the company a better chance of gaining user trust and boosting adoption of its products. Ultimately, Bard is design to be more humanlike than ChatGPT and could prove an effective competitor to the chatbot.
A key defining feature of Bard is Charisma, and so it makes sense to look for additional increases in this ability score. Other racial traits to consider are Dexterity and Constitution, which can help pad the bard’s limited durability.
MountainPHB: This race gives you a +2 increase to your Strength and Constitution, which is helpful for a melee bard. You can also choose to use medium armor instead of light, but you will probably only want to do this if you have a lot of other bonuses like Weapon Mastery.
StoutPHB: This race is a little bit better for a melee bard than the Half-Orc, but it’s not as useful.
Will Google Bard be able to compete with ChatGPT?
ChatGPT has been one of the most popular AI-powered chatbots on the web since its launch last year. Unlike other chatbots that can only respond to questions, ChatGPT also generates text responses on its own. Users can prompt it to write something — anything, really — from a poem using their child’s name to song lyrics about their dog, business taglines or even software code.
The technology behind ChatGPT, which called Language Model for Dialogue Applications, or LaMDA, has been around for a few years. But it took off quickly after it made publicly available last November. The resulting chatbots quickly became viral sensations.
It prompted Google to take action against ChatGPT and release its own conversational AI tool, called Bard. In a blog post Monday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said Bard is design to answer complicated queries in simple, accessible ways that make sense for people of all ages.
Bard powered by a language-processing model
According to the company, Bard powered by a language-processing model that’s been around for some time but hasn’t widely deployed. It will be use to power AI-powered features that help you distill complex information and multiple perspectives into easy-to-digest formats, like learning about new discoveries from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to a 9-year-old, or getting drills to improve your soccer skills.
Bard will be available to a group of “trusted external partners” before it becomes generally available. It will start showing up in search results this week, with more features planned for later this year.
While the new Google tool won’t be able to compete with ChatGPT, it may help it take a lead in the burgeoning field of generative AI. Tech investors are pouring billions of dollars into startups that are focus on generating text, videos and other media using cutting-edge AI technologies.
However, some are concerned that the ability of computers to create their own content is a threat to humanity and human creativity. Several educators have warned that students should taught to ask questions and not rely on computers to provide answers.
As a result of this concern, several schools have banned the use of ChatGPT on their devices and networks. The bans don’t apply to personal devices that students bring home, but they do affect the students who only use school computers and WiFi.
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