Google announces new Bard features as traffic continues to lag ChatGPT

In the progressing landscape of artificial intelligence, Google has taken a slight competitive edge over its competitors. Alphabet Inc’s tech giant, Google, has recently announced the achievement of a milestone through a significant upgrade to its AI model called Bard. These advancements aim to equip Bard with fact-checking abilities and the capacity to analyze users’ personal Google data, in an effort to catch up with ChatGPT, a formidable contender developed by OpenAI and backed by Microsoft.

1) The Emergence of ChatGPT

The fierce competition between the giants began with the release of ChatGPT last year, which quickly gained skyrocketing popularity. This chatbot not only captivated users with its conversational capacity but also portrayed the immense potential of generative AI. ChatGPT’s exponential rise in the tech industry saw it rock the charts and it has now become one of the top 30 websites globally, marking it as the fastest-growing consumer application in history at the time.

2) The Struggle of Bard

However, against all the expectations, Google’s Bard has struggled to make a mark and achieve the same level of recognition and user engagement. Recent data from website analytics firm Similarweb reveals an obvious gap in popularity. In August, Bard received 183 million visits, a mere 13% of the traffic ChatGPT garnered during the same period.

3) Google’s Strategic Move: Bard Extensions

Determined to fill this gap, Google has undergone a series of updates and instilled new features into Bard, which are named Bard Extensions. These extensions will empower users to import data from other products owned by the tech giant into Bard. For example, users will have the ability to request Bard to search through their files in Google Drive or generate summaries of their Gmail inbox. As of now, Bard users can exclusively access information from within the apps of its parent company. However, Google is actively collaborating with other companies to increase Bard’s capabilities and integrate their applications into the AI platform, according to Google’s senior product director, Jack Krawczyk.

4) Addressing Inaccuracies: A New Approach

One of the momentous challenges faced by generative AI systems like Bard and ChatGPT is the occurrence of inaccuracies while responding to queries, often referred to as “hallucinations.” In a bid to enhance user confidence and reliability, Google has introduced a groundbreaking feature for Bard. Users will now be able to scrutinize Bard’s responses and discern which parts of the answers resonate with search results of the tech giant and which parts deviate from them.

5) Building Trust through Accountability

Jack Krawczyk explained this new feature by stating, “We are presenting Bard in a way that it admits when it’s not confident.” This strategic approach seeks to hold Bard accountable for its responses and ensure that users can trust the information generated by generative AI systems. By openly acknowledging its limitations, Bard aims to instil a sense of transparency and credibility in its interactions with users.

6) The Future of Generative AI

The rapid advancements in generative AI technology mark a pivotal moment in the tech industry. These AI models, like Bard and ChatGPT, are equipped with the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with information and automate our daily routine tasks. As the competition grows fierce, we must brace ourselves for further innovations and enhancements that will not only improve the accuracy and reliability of these systems but also broaden the scope of how they are applied. 

Conclusion

Google’s announcement of Bard’s new features is a clear indication of the big dog’s long-established determination to outspeed the ChatGPT in the generative AI race. By enabling users to access their Google data and by addressing the issue of inaccuracies, Google is portraying Bard as a more reliable and trustworthy AI companion. As these AI systems continue to evolve, the future promises even more exciting developments that will further integrate AI into our daily lives, enhancing our interactions with technology and information.