Bard is Google’s answer to ChatGPT but is seemingly lagging behind.
Earlier this week, Google started giving access to experimenters (from waitlist) and there’s great curiosity about the capabilities of the system and where will this whole AI ecosystem take us.
In this post we’ll review the system from the inside and check the differences from ChatGPT. The post is based on tests from the last few days of real experimenters.
Google launched Bard this week for a small number of users and will gradually give access to more and more users according to the waiting list order.
You can already sign up for the waitlist: bard.google.com – Log in to your Google account and press the button to join the waiting list. Immediately afterwards you will receive a confirmation email that you are now on the waiting list.
So first of all, join the list ๐
A little bit about Google Bard
Bard is based on Google’s AI model LaMDA which has an advanced learning mechanism. It’s also connected to the search engine and bases some of its answers on them as well.
Seemingly a big promise, so of course I was curious to check out if that promise is indeed that great ๐
Quick overview
A bit like the rest (ChatGPT and Bing), Bard is also presented as a chat where you can type questions or commands.
Google also shared a video of what it looks like from the inside:
Furthermore, it is very important to emphasize what Google bothers to emphasize – Bard does not rely on search results from the search engine and it should not replace the search.
Its purpose is to fill gaps in the search or to improve the results you have already received by consulting the bot about it or in general.
Bard’s chat is quite similar to ChatGPT in essence.
Try to challenge it with any question, command or request of texts, and in fact every piece of knowledge you are looking for includes things to do that you don’t succeed such as “writing an academic article” or “write a poem for my mother-in-law’s birthday”.
Bard produces (at least at the moment) 3 possible answers for each question (unless you requested a list of more answers) where at the end of each answer there’s a “Google it” button that leads to a relevant search results page
Meaning Google really tries to emphasize that Bard is not a substitute for search.
The degree of accuracy of BARD
As with ChatGPT, Bard also presents really incorrect answers sometimes when it has no good information to rely on.
For example, it got confused with a question related to the possible volume of a certain washing machine and gave 3 wrong answers. On the second attempt with the same question it managed to answer correctly.
But if you think about it, the users don’t know which of the answers is correct.
At the same time – Bard is connected to Google and uses it as a source information for its answers on a current search (as opposed to ChatGPT where all the information comes from its database) and therefore its answers will be more accurate and current.
In addition, Google displays disclaimers on every page that Bard’s answers may be wrong and do not represent Google’s narrative.
Bard VS. ChatGPT
Well then let’s move on to the important part of the article, which is better: Bard or ChatGPT?
Let’s compare the main factors:
Speed –ย So first of all, one thing is clear – Bard is faster than ChatGPT (although it’s unwise to measure this when Bard still has almost no users).
The functionality is quite similar – questions, commands, etc.
The degree of sophistication and learning in the answers – They are very similar – both are still wrong sometimes.
Bard shows a disclaimer in advance, that the answers may be wrong and do not represent Google.
Regarding answering dangerous questions (such as how to make mustard gas at home) Bard gives more warnings about the risk and makes the answers more difficult.
Code – This is where ChatGPT is still leading – Google stated that Bard is still in the learning phase of codes. the codes it can generate are still relatively simple – a prominent gap and Google might have to catch up.
At the same time, it seems that pretty quickly – BARD will fill this gap because of its learning mechanisms and the fact that Google does not like to be left behind. Especially not in the AI arena.
Languages – ChatGPT works in several languages (English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese etc.), Bard is currently only in English.
Summary
Bard is still in the beginning, with a few experimental contributors. It’s hard to know what might happen, but in the coming months it still won’t be able to provide the same value as ChatGPT does. Mainly in terms of codes and video.
With that said, it also includes answers from the search engine, it gives 3 possible answers and has a learning mechanism based on Google’s AI engine LaMDA, which should develop very quickly and give more reliable answers than the competitors.
It would be interesting to test it against ChatGPT in the months to come after the launch.
If you haven’t signed up for the waiting list yet, now is the time.
