AI – short for “artificial intelligence” for those not in the know – has gotten really big in the past few years, with tech companies both big and small investing heavily into software and services geared to make use of AI technologies. Whether it be smart assistants, search tools, or even image generators, AI has been gaining more ground in different fields and applications.
One good example of this is Chat GPT, an online AI service which has gained a large following in the past couple of months due to its ability to construct and generate written content, and almost human-like writing. Microsoft has invested heavily into Chat GPT and has even integrated it into its Bing search engine.
As such, Google is not one to get left behind – the American tech giant has been working on its own AI program, and has recently taken off the wraps on its new project, called “Bard.” it heavily integrates features and functions from Google’s Language Model for Dialogue Applications, or “LaMDA” for short.
Bard’s announcement came a bit early before Google’s “Live from Paris” event, which gave detailed updates about upcoming software features for several Google products including Search, Maps, and more.
At the moment, Google is releasing it initially with a lightweight model version of LaMDA, which requires significantly less computing power, and will enable Google to scale more users in the hopes of building up user feedback. Google says that it’ll combine external feedback with its own internal testing to make sure Bard’s responses meet a :high bar for quality, safety and groundedness” in real-world information. A post from CEO Sundar Pichai on Google’s official webpage goes into detail about the new AI program. As from his statement:
“We’ve been working on an experimental conversational AI service, powered by LaMDA, that we’re calling Bard. And today, we’re taking another step forward by opening it up to trusted testers ahead of making it more widely available to the public in the coming weeks. Bard seeks to combine the breadth of the world’s knowledge with the power, intelligence and creativity of our large language models. It draws on information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality responses. Bard can be an outlet for creativity, and a launchpad for curiosity, helping you to explain new discoveries from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to a 9-year-old, or learn more about the best strikers in football right now, and then get drills to build your skills.”
Based on this, Bard is clearly aimed at being used with multiple applications whether it be in the arts, sports, science and technology, and more. Google’s expertise with current software products such as Search and Assistant do add a lot of confidence to this new enterprise, and as such it should be interesting to see where the company takes Bard from this point moving forward. Pichai also adds:
“It’s critical that we bring experiences rooted in these models to the world in a bold and responsible way. That’s why we’re committed to developing AI responsibly: In 2018, Google was one of the first companies to publish a set of AI Principles. We continue to provide education and resources for our researchers, partner with governments and external organizations to develop standards and best practices, and work with communities and experts to make AI safe and useful.”
