Google is releasing its own artificial intelligence chatbot, called Bard, in response to the huge success of the Microsoft-backed ChatGPT.
The company is also adding the technology behind Bard to the Google search engine to enable complex queries – such as whether the guitar or piano are easier to learn – to be distilled into digestible answers.
Bard will be released to specialist product testers on Monday and will then be made more widely available to the public in the coming weeks, Google says. Like ChatGPT, Bard is powered by a so-called large language model – in Google’s case called LaMDA.
Large language AI models such as LaMDA and the one behind ChatGPT are types of neural network – which mimic the underlying architecture of the brain in computer form – that are fed huge amounts of text in order to be taught how to generate plausible responses to text-based prompts.
ChatGPT has become a sensation among users after its public release in November, creating all kinds of content from academic essays to poems and job applications.
Sundar Pichai, Google’s chief executive, emphasised Bard’s ability to deliver responses based on up-to-date information. Google’s announcement contained an example of Bard answering a query about how to explain new discoveries made by Nasa’s James Webb space telescope to a nine-year-old, as well as learning about the best strikers in football “right now” while getting training drills to emulate top players.
“Bard seeks to combine the breadth of the world’s knowledge with the power, intelligence, and creativity of our large language models,” said Pichai. “It draws on information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality responses.”
Google also said its latest AI technologies – such as LaMDA, PaLM, image generator Imagen and music creator MusicLM – would be integrated into its search engine. Pichai said new AI-powered features in its search engine would distill complex information and multiple perspectives into “easy-to-digest” formats.
Pichai used the example of asking Google which is the easier instrument to learn between a guitar and a piano, with Google then releasing an example of a conversation-style response to that query – instead of a link to a single blog post.
The company will also make the technology behind LaMDA available to developers, creators and businesses, with a view to building apps powered by Google’s AI technology.
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Google’s announcement came as Microsoft, a key backer of ChatGPT, prepares to launch more products using the technology behind the chatbot.
Over the weekend users of Microsoft’s Bing search engine claimed to have seen a preview of the product in which they could ask it questions of up to 1,000 characters, with the answers also citing sources.
