If it is true that ChatGPT is breaking into the world of online research with such speed as to be able to mess up the current balance, Google’s response could not be long in coming. And in fact, the Mountain View giant has just announced Bard, an AI-based software that appears to be very similar to the chatbot for which Microsoft has decided to write a check for 10 billion dollars.
The announcement came with a post from the CEO of Big G, Sundar Pichai, who explained how it is “a truly exciting time to work on these technologies, thanks to which we can translate important scientific research and discoveries into products that really help people . We’ve been working on an experimental conversational AI service powered by LaMDA that we call Bard. And today we’re taking it a step further by opening up access to a trusted group of testers, before making it more widely available to the public in the coming weeks.”
Pichai explained that with Bard, Google seeks to “combine the vastness of the world‘s knowledge with the intelligence, power and creativity of our great linguistic models”. Bard «uses information on the web to provide high-quality, up-to-date answers. It can be a tool for creativity and a springboard for curiosity: for example, helping to explain to a 9-year-old boy or girl the new discoveries made thanks to NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, or to learn more about best football strikers right now, or to get advice on how to improve your skills.
As explained by the CEO, the Google chatbot will initially be accessible only by a few selected users. But gradually it will become a technology for everyone. And above all, it will be integrated into the Google Search engine, which remains the most used in the world with over 90% of the market. A somewhat forced move for Google, which in order to defend its leadership (and over 200 billion dollars in annual revenue) could not give up the game of artificial intelligence applied to search engines.
To understand, now, if the ChatGPT bubble will deflate. A lot will depend on how well Bard performs. And which of the two chatbots will be able to conquer the largest number of users first and best. ChatGPT starts a few weeks early, sure. But Bard will come to Google Search, an engine that collects about 10 billion searches a day. It will be a good match.