Google Launches Bard, Its Powerful New LaMDA 2 Rival to ChatGPT

ChatGPT’s complete dominance in the world of AI-powered conversational platforms is at an end, as Google is throwing its own entrant into the ring. 

The web search giant just unveiled Bard, a conversational AI (artificial intelligence), aka chatbot, that seeks to rival OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT service. Bard is powered by the language modeler LaMDA and acts as a more consumer-friendly version of its LaMDA 2 experimental chatbot.

To that end, the system is similar to ChatGPT in many respects, though Google prioritizes the chatbot's ability to simplify complex topics for a broad audience. The company details Bard explaining astronomical discoveries to a child as an example. 

This experimental technology requires more data to perfect, so Bard will only be available to "trusted testers" until released to the general public in the coming weeks. 

"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," wrote Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. 

Pichai says the technology will eventually integrate into Google Search, distilling complex information and multiple perspectives into an "easy-to-digest format." However, there is no timetable for this integration other than "soon." 

In the meantime, trusted testers are receiving the go-ahead to download and install the Bard beta.

Google says these testers are a "demographically and geographically diverse group of people" who do not work for the company.