Google is releasing Bard, its ChatGPT alternative

Bard is now available to the general public. The AI chatbot made its beta debut in the US and UK on Tuesday, and is widely launching in most other countries.<br><br>Google announced the news in a blog post published earlier today, saying Bard will also roll out to Brazil and Japan in the coming weeks. It also detailed some new features, including the ability to add personal memories and use AI to help with things like planning a trip.<br><br>The chatbot is, of course, a direct response to ChatGPT, the generative AI model made by OpenAI that has captured the world's attention. <br><br>"Generative AI is a powerful technology that can be used in numerous ways to help people," Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian said. "To explore, to create, to write code, to build a business, or, for example, to make our existing products and services more useful."<br><br>Generative AI also has several challenges, he noted. "In our view, it is additive, but it is not a replacement for human ingenuity, judgment, oversight, and accountability."<br><br>The tech giant says Bard is created using a Gemini model, which it claims is less computationally intensive than other AI engines. Gemini is a next-generation model in Google's PaLM series, according to the company.<br><br>"Today, we're just starting to scratch the surface of what we can do with Gemini," said Kurian. "[It] offers great performance, with a lower cost, and we're going to continue to make this technology even better."<br><br>Google Bard includes a conversational interface, which allows users to chat with the model. This interface allows users to ask follow-up questions, open URLs, or provide feedback.<br><br>Google CEO Sundar Pichai said: "We believe AI can be a powerful collaborator in your work, your education and your daily life. We're committed to ensuring that our products use AI responsibly and safely."<br><br>The tech giant says it is working to improve its AI model using several methods, including:<br><br>• Collecting data and usage information and using this to improve the model<br><br>• Using real people to test the model<br><br>• Setting rules for how the model is used<br><br>• Making sure that users know that the AI is not perfect and might make mistakes<br><br>• Using safety features to prevent harms from happening<br><br>• Improving the model by training it on more data<br><br>• Looking to the future and thinking about how AI will change and how Google should adapt.<br><br>"Right now, we're building AI that is capable of doing things that humans can do," said Kurian. "We're looking ahead to what's possible when that human ingenuity is paired with AI, and we're excited to bring you along on this journey."<br><br>---<br><br>This is an excerpt from a post published by our friends at Laptop Mag.