Considerable Bard Updates

Google Bard Updated With Text to Speech, 40 New Languages

Bard is getting more capable, but it's still not trustworthy.

By Ryan Whitwam July 14, 2023

Bard AI

Credit: Google

Google was caught off-guard earlier this year when Microsoft decided to make generative AI its new focus. Despite inventing the transformer algorithms that make bots like ChatGPT possible, Google's answer to ChatGPT stumbled out of the gate. Google has been updating its Bard AI consistently in recent months, and the latest update is a big one. Finally, Bard can speak its replies.

Bard is a text-based generative AI, which means you can ask it anything, and it'll give you a response. It can do that because Bard has ingested a huge amount of written content, so it has the uncanny ability to generate text that sounds like a (boring) human being wrote it. On the flip side, some of the text Bard creates is not grounded in reality. So far, no one has figured out how to prevent these "hallucinations" in generative AI—ChatGPT suffers from the same shortcoming.

Google says it has now fed Bard enough content in an assortment of languages to expand the bot's services. It now works in 40 new languages, including Arabic, Chinese, German, and Spanish. As part of the multilinguistic update, Bard has also expanded to Brazil and more of Europe.

Regardless of whether Bard's output is accurate, you can hear the results spoken in more than 40 languages now. Google says this is useful if you aren't sure of the pronunciation of a word. Just click the speaker icon to start Bard gabbing. Should you find yourself unsatisfied with the response, there are also new tools to change that. The buttons at the bottom of the conversation window now let you alter the AI's tone and style. For example, you can make a reply more casual, shorter, more professional, and so on. This feature is only supported in English right now, but more languages are coming.

Google releases Bard to the world – but leaves the EU behind

Example of how Country/region regulation can stall uses, increase training, mauntenance needs. 

 Google releases Bard to the world – but leaves the EU behind    in Nextweb

The bloc's frosty reception of generative AI could be to blame

May 11, 2023 - 12:26 pm

During its I/O 2023 event yesterday, Google announced it had officially removed the waitlist for its AI-powered chatbot Bard and made the service available in 180 countries and territories.

Sadly for most Europeans keen on testing the tech giant’s contribution to the generative AI race, the countries of the European Union are not included in the list. 

The company has not made any comments on why the EU has been left out. However, it would not be too far-fetched to assume it has something to do with how members of the bloc have reacted to the introduction of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

In all likelihood, Google is also waiting for the finalisation of the EU’s much-anticipated AI Act, before unleashing Bard across the continent. The leading European Parliament committees gave their approval for the act earlier today, with a tentative plenary adoption date scheduled for 14 June. 

While not offering any specific plans for increased geographical access, Google says it will “gradually expand to more countries and territories in a way that is consistent with local regulations and our AI principles.” 

Trained on Google’s new model

Along with the release of Bard to much of the world (and sharp VPN wielders), Google also introduced a range of new features to the chatbot. First of all, it is now powered by Google’s newest large language model: PaLM2, an upgraded version of PaLM, released in April. Meanwhile, Bard was still introduced as a “conversational AI experiment.”

Google Pixel Smartphones Will Add Bard AI Widget: Report

Its everywhere!  Am now using GPT on my Iphone, now it will show up on any Android too, see below.  Not really usually for a specific need yet, but interesting to see.    Had Wikipedia, now have a broader source of knowledge added in.  Instructive, but useful now?  

Google Pixel Smartphones Will Add Bard AI Widget: Report in Voicebot.ai

ERIC HAL SCHWARTZ on May 5, 2023 at 9:00 am

Google may turn Bard generative AI chatbot into a widget on Pixel smartphones and tablets, according to a 9to5Google code dive report. Bard is publicly available, but only through a web portal. An Android-accessible version, even limited to Pixel devices, could help the company nab more of the market currently dominated by OpenAI and Microsoft through ChatGPT and the ChatGPT-powered Bing.

BARD PIXEL

Though Google hasn’t spread Bard beyond its initial entry point, other tools fueled by the same LaMDA large language model (LLM) have become more available. Generative AI text generators and editors for Gmail, Docs, and other parts of Google’s software suite now offer some version of the technology. It looks like Google is looking to make Bard a widget on the main Pixel screen. What it will do has not been uncovered, though more immediate chatbot interaction would likely be the very minimum of its capabilities. The widget will probably become available in some form on other Android devices, as it wouldn’t make much sense to keep it only on Google’s hardware. Perhaps Pixel users will have earlier access to the widget or some additional features.  More may be revealed at Google I/O next week when the new Pixel smartphone and tablet are due to be announced.  ... ' 

Google Pixel Smartphones Will Add Bard AI Widget: Report

 Putting Bard into the Phone,  implications, value?

Google Pixel Smartphones Will Add Bard AI Widget: Report

ERIC HAL SCHWARTZ

Google may turn Bard generative AI chatbot into a widget on Pixel smartphones and tablets, according to a 9to5Google code dive report. Bard is publicly available, but only through a web portal. An Android-accessible version, even limited to Pixel devices, could help the company nab more of the market currently dominated by OpenAI and Microsoft through ChatGPT and the ChatGPT-powered Bing.

BARD PIXEL

Though Google hasn’t spread Bard beyond its initial entry point, other tools fueled by the same LaMDA large language model (LLM) have become more available. Generative AI text generators and editors for Gmail, Docs, and other parts of Google’s software suite now offer some version of the technology. It looks like Google is looking to make Bard a widget on the main Pixel screen. What it will do has not been uncovered, though more immediate chatbot interaction would likely be the very minimum of its capabilities. The widget will probably become available in some form on other Android devices, as it wouldn’t make much sense to keep it only on Google’s hardware. Perhaps Pixel users will have earlier access to the widget or some additional features.  More may be revealed at Google I/O next week when the new Pixel smartphone and tablet are due to be announced.

A built-in widget for Bard might be a way for Google to accelerate the adoption of its generative AI since Pixel devices and the Android OS are part of its ecosystem. Mobile apps with ChatGPT in some form, such as SoundHound and ParagraphAI, can’t do what a first-party tool could. Even Microsoft has to filter the Bing generative AI chatbot on Android via the SwiftKey keyboard app. The Bing Chat feature is accessible through SwiftKey’s beta channel and offers a new way to use the tool on mobile devices beyond the Bing mobile app or Skype.  ... '

Alexa in Trouble? Will AI Help? Google Pushes Bard

Is there room for an AI save?  And Google Assistant goes to Bard.

As Alexa flounders, Amazon hopes homegrown generative AI can find it revenue

With voice assistants on the brink of death, Amazon targets Alexa large language model.

Scharon Harding - 5/4/2023, 6:22 PM   in ArsTechnica

While voice assistants initially seemed to be a convenient, futuristic way to get information and perform basic tasks, they have barely graduated from that role. And the lack of evolution has left voice assistants surrounded by uncertainty. Google, for example, has shut down third-party Google Assistant smart displays and reportedly shifted Assistant manpower to Bard. But while Google Assistant and Google's experimental Bard chatbot currently feel like different products with different uses, Amazon has dreams of uniting its generative AI efforts with its struggling Alexa business.

It's no secret that belts are tightening at Amazon, compounding interest in making Alexa a strong revenue source. Alexa was reportedly set to lose $10 billion in 2022, per an Insider report, and had failed to sufficiently engage users in ways that make Amazon money. Amazon is also enduring its largest round of layoffs and last week announced it is discontinuing Halo fitness and sleep trackers.

Can generative AI generate Alexa revenue?

Amazon reportedly tried incorporating more AI into Halo before killing it—like having trackers leverage a smartphone camera and computer vision to analyze and share user workout data with Amazon. We weren't eager to trust Amazon with such AI usage; however, Amazon is reportedly shifting some of that invasive AI energy to Alexa.

A report from Insider on Tuesday cited a "leaked document" titled "Alexa LLM [large language model] Entertainment Use Cases." It reportedly details plans to make Alexa more capable of "thinking vs. fetching from a database."

The AI, an Amazon spokesperson told Insider, isn't based on an open source model like versions being developed by other Big Tech companies but, rather, a proprietary LLM called Alexa Teacher Model. Alexa has already been using it for years, but Amazon is "building new models that are much larger and much more generalized and capable" to make Alexa "more proactive and conversational," according to Amazon's rep. ... 

Stunning: Hinton Leaves Google

Surprising, just noted this.  Wee connected with him regarding neural nets in the 80s. directly reflects on Google Bard?...

‘Godfather of AI’ quits Google with regrets and fears about his life’s work in TheVerge

Geoffrey Hinton who won the ‘Nobel Prize of computing’ for his trailblazing work on neural networks is now free to speak about the risks of AI.

By Thomas Ricker   May 1, 2023, 6:58 AM EDT|10 Comments / 10 New

Key Speakers At The International Economic Forum Of The Americas Toronto Global Forum

Geoffrey Hinton (foreground) has left Google to speak out on the dangers of AI. Image: Getty

Geoffrey Hinton, who alongside two other so-called “Godfathers of AI” won the 2018 Turing Award for their foundational work that led to the current boom in artificial intelligence, now says a part of him regrets his life’s work. Hinton recently quit his job at Google in order to speak freely about the risks of AI, according to an interview with the 75-year-old in The New York Times.

“I console myself with the normal excuse: If I hadn’t done it, somebody else would have,” said Hinton, who had been employed by Google for more than a decade. “It is hard to see how you can prevent the bad actors from using it for bad things.”

Hinton notified Google of his resignation last month, and on Thursday talked to CEO Sundar Pichai directly, according to the NYT. Details of that discussion were not disclosed.

It’s this work that ultimately led to the creation of ChatGPT and Google Bard.

The life-long academic joined Google after it acquired a company started by Hinton and two of his students, one of whom went on to become chief scientist at OpenAI. Hinton and his students had developed a neural network that taught itself to identify common objects like dogs, cats, and flowers after analyzing thousands of photos. It’s this work that ultimately led to the creation of ChatGPT and Google Bard.

According to the NYT interview, Hinton was happy with Google’s stewardship of the technology until Microsoft launched the new OpenAI-infused Bing, challenging Google’s core business and sparking a “code red” response inside the search giant. Such fierce competition might be impossible to stop, Hinton says, resulting in a world with so much fake imagery and text that nobody will be able to tell “what is true anymore.”

Google’s chief scientist, Jeff Dean, worked to soften the blow with the following statement: “We remain committed to a responsible approach to AI. We’re continually learning to understand emerging risks while also innovating boldly.”

Hinton also took to Twitter to clarify his position on Google’s stewardship:  ... ' 

Google Bard Now Supports Code Generation

Will be trying this with python and potentially other code types.

Google is updating its Bard AI chatbot to help developers write and debug code. Rivals like ChatGPT and Bing AI have supported code generation, but Google says it has been “one of the top requests” it has received since opening up access to Bard last month.   In The Verge.

Bard can now generate code, debug existing code, help explain lines of code, and even write functions for Google Sheets. “We’re launching these capabilities in more than 20 programming languages including C++, Go, Java, Javascript, Python and Typescript,” explains Paige Bailey, group product manager for Google Research, in a blog post.

You can ask Bard to explain code snippets or explain code within GitHub repos similar to how Microsoft-owned GitHub is implementing a ChatGPT-like assistant with Copilot. Bard will also debug code that you supply or even its own code if it made some errors or the output wasn’t what you were looking for.

Speaking of errors, Bailey admits that Bard “may sometimes provide inaccurate, misleading or false information while presenting it confidently,” much like many AI-powered chatbots. “When it comes to coding, Bard may give you working code that doesn’t produce the expected output, or provide you with code that is not optimal or incomplete,” says Bailey. “Always double-check Bard’s responses and carefully test and review code for errors, bugs and vulnerabilities before relying on it.” Bard will also cite the source of its code recommendations if it quotes them “at length.”

Google is pushing ahead with its Bard chatbot despite reports that suggest employees repeatedly criticized the chatbot and labeled it “a pathological liar.” Google has reportedly sidelined ethical concerns to keep up with rivals like OpenAI and Microsoft. In our tests comparing Bard, Bing, and ChatGPT, we found Google’s Bard chatbot to be less accurate than its rivals.  ...'

Wharton AI Powered Risk Radar and more

Wharton AI Powered Risk Radar"  From Bard

Wharton researchers have developed a new AI-powered tool to help businesses identify and mitigate risks. The tool, called "Risk Radar," uses machine learning to analyze data from a variety of sources, including financial statements, news reports, and social media. Risk Radar then identifies potential risks that businesses may face, such as fraud, financial instability, and reputational damage.

Risk Radar is still in development, but it has already been used by several businesses to identify and mitigate risks. For example, one business used Risk Radar to identify a potential fraud scheme that was targeting its customers. The business was able to stop the scheme before it caused any damage.

Wharton researchers are continuing to develop Risk Radar and are working to make it available to more businesses. Risk Radar is a powerful tool that can help businesses identify and mitigate risks, and it has the potential to save businesses millions of dollars.

Wharton researchers have developed an AI-powered tool to help businesses improve their marketing campaigns. The tool, called "Marketing AI," uses machine learning to analyze customer data, such as customer interactions, website visits, and social media posts. Marketing AI then identifies potential areas where businesses can improve their marketing campaigns, such as areas where customers are likely to respond to certain types of marketing messages.

Wharton researchers have developed an AI-powered tool to help businesses improve their financial analysis. The tool, called "Financial Analysis AI," uses machine learning to analyze financial data, such as financial statements, stock prices, and economic data. Financial Analysis AI then identifies potential areas where businesses can improve their financial analysis, such as areas where businesses can identify potential risks or opportunities.

Wharton researchers have developed an AI-powered tool to help businesses improve their human resources management. The tool, called "Human Resources AI," uses machine learning to analyze employee data, such as employee performance reviews, employee surveys, and employee turnover data. Human Resources AI then identifies potential areas where businesses can improve their human resources management, such as areas where businesses can identify potential employee satisfaction or retention issues.

These are just a few examples of how Wharton is using AI to improve the way businesses operate. As AI continues to develop, Wharton will continue to find new ways to use it to help businesses succeed.

Bard is Out and Being Tested in Changed World of High Expectations

 Google has announced their model, has been getting some criticism.  But as they say it is still just a  test.  There are lots of models jumping out there.    Google seems to have moved early without enough testing.    Expectations are high.  Also,  it competes directly with very profitable Google Search. Use directly with caution.

Try Bard and share your feedback

Mar 21, 2023  in the Google Blog.

We’re starting to open access to Bard, an early experiment that lets you collaborate with generative AI. We're beginning with the U.S. and the U.K., and will expand to more countries and languages over time.

SissieHsiao.png, Sissie Hsiao, VP, Product

Eli Collins, VP, Research

Animation of text: “Meet Bard, an early experiment by Google.” Followed by sentences explaining what Bard can do, like draft a packing list for a fishing and camping trip.

Today we’re starting to open access to Bard, an early experiment that lets you collaborate with generative AI. This follows our announcements from last week as we continue to bring helpful AI experiences to people, businesses and communities.

You can use Bard to boost your productivity, accelerate your ideas and fuel your curiosity. You might ask Bard to give you tips to reach your goal of reading more books this year, explain quantum physics in simple terms or spark your creativity by outlining a blog post. We’ve learned a lot so far by testing Bard, and the next critical step in improving it is to get feedback from more people.

Bard can help you brainstorm some ways to read more books this year.

About Bard

Bard is powered by a research large language model (LLM), specifically a lightweight and optimized version of LaMDA, and will be updated with newer, more capable models over time. It’s grounded in Google's understanding of quality information. You can think of an LLM as a prediction engine. When given a prompt, it generates a response by selecting, one word at a time, from words that are likely to come next. Picking the most probable choice every time wouldn’t lead to very creative responses, so there’s some flexibility factored in. We continue to see that the more people use them, the better LLMs get at predicting what responses might be helpful.

While LLMs are an exciting technology, they’re not without their faults. For instance, because they learn from a wide range of information that reflects real-world biases and stereotypes, those sometimes show up in their outputs. And they can provide inaccurate, misleading or false information while presenting it confidently. For example, when asked to share a couple suggestions for easy indoor plants, Bard convincingly presented ideas…but it got some things wrong, like the scientific name for the ZZ plant.  .... ' 

Google Bard

 Got into Google Bard from the wait list in just a few hours.  See Bard.google.com    Here is how they describe it.   And Perhaps naturally, each interaction also includes the ability to use a google search .  Says it uses the Web as a source of knowledge, as well as books, articles, other accessible resources.  

Bard.google.com

Google Bard is Google's experimental, conversational, AI chat service. It is meant to function similarly to ChatGPT, with the biggest difference being that Google's service will pull its information from the web.

Google Bard was named after the Bards of Celtic cultures, who were professional story-tellers, musicians, and oral historians. Google Bard is designed to be a modern-day equivalent, using artificial intelligence to generate creative text formats of text content, like poems, code, scripts, musical pieces, email, letters, etc.

Google Bard is still under development, but it has learned to perform many kinds of tasks, including:

- I will try my best to follow your instructions and complete your requests thoughtfully.

- I will use my knowledge to answer your questions in a comprehensive and informative way, even if they are open ended, challenging, or strange.

- I will generate different creative text formats of text content, like poems, code, scripts, musical pieces, email, letters, etc. I will try my best to fulfill all your requirements ....

Seems well done, does seem to allow for some stranger questions.    They warn you its new and still a work in progress, experimental, can make mistakes, etc.   It seems now most every one wants such a capability added to their world of tools. 

Google's Bard Is Here (Waitlist)

Yet another chatty AI,   examining.  From the Lamda Language model.

-  You can sign up to try Bard at bard.google.com. We'll begin rolling out access in the U.S. and U.K. today and expanding over time to more countries and languages. Until next time, Bard out! -

I am now on the waitlist, more will follow here.

Bard: Google's rival to ChatGPT launches for over-18s

The Bard chatbot answering questions

By Zoe Kleinman, Technology editor

Google will begin rolling out its AI chatbot Bard today, but it will only be available to certain users and they will have to be over the age of 18.

Unlike its viral rival ChatGPT, it can access up-to-date information from the internet and has a "Google it" button which accesses search.

It also namechecks its sources for facts, such as Wikipedia.

But Google warned Bard would have "limitations" and said it might share misinformation and display bias.

This is because it "learns" from real-world information, in which those biases currently exist - meaning it is possible for stereotypes and false information to show up in its responses.

How do chatbots work?

AI chatbots are programmed to answer questions online using natural, human-like language.

They can write anything from speeches and marketing copy to computer code and student essays.

When ChatGPT launched in November 2022, it had more than one million users within a week, said OpenAI, the firm behind it.

Microsoft has invested billions of dollars in it, incorporating the product into its search engine Bing last month.

It has also unveiled plans to bring a version of the tech to its office apps including Word, Excel and Powerpoint.

Google has been a slower and more cautious runner in the generative AI race with its version, Bard, which launches in the US and UK to begin with. Users will have to register to try it out.

Bard is a descendant of an earlier language model of Google's called Lamda, which was never fully released to the public. It did, however, attract a lot of attention when one of the engineers who worked on it claimed its answers were so compelling that he believed it was sentient. Google denied the claims and he was fired.

If Search is Really Reinvented

Seen from the retail direction, if Search is reinvented significantly, what will that mean?  Faster, more accurate?   Supply chains?   Search engine optimization certainly.    Mused about in pundits from Retailwire.  

Will ChatGPT reinvent search?  by Tom Ryan

Microsoft and Google both revealed plans last week to introduce their own ChatGPT-style product, joining the hype around the AI-driven chatbot technology.

Developed by San Francisco-based startup OpenAI and introduced last November, ChatGPT taps generative artificial intelligence to provide people with human-like responses to their questions. The technology also generates a wide range of digital text that can be repurposed in nearly any context, including in tweets, blog posts, term papers, poetry and even computer code.

Microsoft, which is investing $10 billion in OpenAI, will integrate ChatGPT technology with its Bing search engine and Edge web browser

Brad Smith. vice chair and president of Microsoft, said in a blog entry, “Today’s cutting-edge AI is a powerful tool for advancing critical thinking and stimulating creative expression. It makes it possible not only to search for information but to seek answers to questions. It can help people uncover insights amid complex data and processes. It speeds up our ability to express what we learn more quickly. Perhaps most important, it’s going to do all these things better and better in the coming months and years.

Google will soon offer an AI and natural language-enhanced version of its Google search engine called Bard, as well as a chatbot.

However, Microsoft created more buzz, having introduced a limited version of the new Bing available to some users this week to rave reviews and drawing predictions that Bing may threaten Google’s search dominance.

Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella said at a media event, “This technology is going to reshape pretty much every software category.”

In China, JD.com, Alibaba and Baidu confirmed they are working on ChatGPT-style projects, as well. Meta is also planning to release similar technology across various products.

Microsoft said its search engine includes technology that identifies and removes problematic content from the chat service. However, the A.I. technologies are known for often producing toxic content, including misinformation, hate speech and biases against women and people of color.  ... ' 

Bard Underwhelms in Debut

Still lots of Work to do for Human level performance,  An Update for chatbots, expensive reaction.

Google's Bard AI bot mistake wipes $100bn off shares   in the  BBC

Google unveiled its new bot called Bard,       By Natalie Sherman

Google is searching for ways to reassure people that it is still out in front in the race for the best artificial intelligence technology.

And so far, the internet giant seems to be coming up with the wrong answer.

An advert designed to show off its new AI bot, showed it answering a query incorrectly.

Shares in parent company Alphabet sank more than 7% on Wednesday, knocking $100bn (£82bn) off the firm's market value.

In the promotion for the bot, known as Bard, which was released on Twitter on Monday, the bot was asked about what to tell a nine-year-old about discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope.

It offered the response that the telescope was the first to take pictures of a planet outside the earth's solar system, when in fact that milestone was claimed by the European Very Large Telescope in 2004 - a mistake quickly noted by astronomers on Twitter.

"Why didn't you factcheck this example before sharing it?" Chris Harrison, a fellow at Newcastle University, replied to the tweet.

Investors were also underwhelmed by a presentation the company gave about its plans to deploy artificial intelligence in its products.

Google has been under pressure since late last year, when Microsoft-backed OpenAI unveiled new ChatGPT software. It quickly became a viral hit for its facility in passing business school exams, composing song lyrics and answering other questions.

Microsoft this week said a new version of its Bing search engine, which has lagged Google for years, would use the ChatGPT technology in an even more advanced form.

Though investors have embraced the push for artificial intelligence, sceptics have warned rushing out the technology raises risks of errors or otherwise skewed results, as well as issues of plagiarism.

A Google spokesperson said the error highlighted "the importance of a rigorous testing process, something that we're kicking off this week with our Trusted Tester programme".  ... ' 

Reactions to todays Google/AI Bard Event

Nicely done, worth taking a look, should still be available om the Google Youtube site.

Here my very early impressions.  Based on building systems that did this.

Not too much was specifically said about Bard, except that it would handle chat interactions with their language system.  Just like today you can ask Google any question and it looks for direct and partial matches.   Often very useful, but sometimes irrelevant to what you want.    Usually less useful as your question is more complex.  Cannot usually pin together knowledge from multiple tries.  Will Bard do better at that?  

Also, how can you determine the source of information?   Hint was there would be some sort of button to push to get sources.  Often that is very useful to determine your trust in a result.   How about a way to measure the risk of a result?  Are you sure you want to do that?   Have Legal involved?   Had the need for that too.  Also does the provider of information get an indication that their info was used, giving them incentive to provide more?   Had that problem with internal Company wikis.   

Mapping updates were interesting, for example the ability to have .immersive view. linked to maps.  So you could get deep local understanding of a view, to improve navigation in a a city.    How about a historical view?  Had the cause to use that for city planning immersion.  

Also linked to maps an 'Indoor Live View', which  let you look at internal design,  so a company could provide precise internal navigation for say retail spaces.   It could be as detail as needed.  We experimented with the idea in grocery type designs, even adding virtual ads that could be updated as wanted.  

Further,  any kind of system that deals with language generation needs to consider context.  Language understanding and usage is important.    Who will be using the results?  Children, New employees, Chemical Engineers?  Trainers or trainees?    Also studied this in Wiki applications.   

Also, have examples where such  a system refuses to generate a particular result,   because there is some (imagined?)  corporate problem with it.  (Political, Operational? )  Who gets to decide that we wont go there?  Who owns the output.  The User? Organization? Google?   Who endorses the answer?    As you start to make these things very universally used, these issues will come up.     Will there be a personal data issue?    Likely.  Should the results always be stored in a memory for later reuse?    - FAD 

Google AI/Bard Event Tomorrow

 This Google AI/Bard event will be live streamed on YouTube tomorrow morning, February 8th at 8:30 ET.  I plan to attend and report.   They also plan to talk about how other Google products, like Google Lens, Translate, Shopping and Maps will be integrated.  Shall we be smartening  the whole Cloud?    Seems interesting, even if some are calling it very reactive.    - FAD 

Streaming from:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLWXJ22LUEc

Google Challenges with Bard AI

Should be an interesting cmpetition here, links with search should be a natural place to insert Bard.  Google also has to show they are serious about making key tools permanent.  

An important next step on our AI journey

Feb 06, 2023, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet

AI is the most profound technology we are working on today. Whether it’s helping doctors detect diseases earlier or enabling people to access information in their own language, AI helps people, businesses and communities unlock their potential. And it opens up new opportunities that could significantly improve billions of lives. That’s why we re-oriented the company around AI six years ago — and why we see it as the most important way we can deliver on our mission: to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Since then we’ve continued to make investments in AI across the board, and Google AI and DeepMind are advancing the state of the art. Today, the scale of the largest AI computations is doubling every six months, far outpacing Moore’s Law. At the same time, advanced generative AI and large language models are capturing the imaginations of people around the world. In fact, our Transformer research project and our field-defining paper in 2017, as well as our important advances in diffusion models, are now the basis of many of the generative AI applications you're starting to see today.

Introducing Bard

It’s a really exciting time to be working on these technologies as we translate deep research and breakthroughs into products that truly help people. That’s the journey we’ve been on with large language models. Two years ago we unveiled next-generation language and conversation capabilities powered by our Language Model for Dialogue Applications (or LaMDA for short).

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.

Use Bard to simplify complex topics, like explaining new discoveries from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to a 9-year-old.

We’re releasing it initially with our lightweight model version of LaMDA. This much smaller model requires significantly less computing power, enabling us to scale to more users, allowing for more feedback. We’ll combine external feedback with our own internal testing to make sure Bard’s responses meet a high bar for quality, safety and groundedness in real-world information. We’re excited for this phase of testing to help us continue to learn and improve Bard’s quality and speed.

Bringing the benefits of AI into our everyday products

We have a long history of using AI to improve Search for billions of people. BERT, one of our first Transformer models, was revolutionary in understanding the intricacies of human language. Two years ago, we introduced MUM, which is 1,000 times more powerful than BERT and has next-level and multi-lingual understanding of information which can pick out key moments in videos and provide critical information, including crisis support, in more languages.

Now, our newest AI technologies — like LaMDA, PaLM, Imagen and MusicLM — are building on this, creating entirely new ways to engage with information, from language and images to video and audio. We’re working to bring these latest AI advancements into our products, starting with Search.

One of the most exciting opportunities is how AI can deepen our understanding of information and turn it into useful knowledge more efficiently — making it easier for people to get to the heart of what they’re looking for and get things done. When people think of Google, they often think of turning to us for quick factual answers, like “how many keys does a piano have?” But increasingly, people are turning to Google for deeper insights and understanding — like, “is the piano or guitar easier to learn, and how much practice does each need?” Learning about a topic like this can take a lot of effort to figure out what you really need to know, and people often want to explore a diverse range of opinions or perspectives.