Google has launched Bard, an AI-powered chatbot to compete with Microsoft’s ChatGPT. The company announced the expansion of its use of artificial intelligence across its platform during its annual developer conference in Silicon Valley. According to executives, generative AI will be used to enhance the tech giant’s search engine, with all core products reimagined.
Bard to Support 40 Languages in Coming Months
After months of testing Bard in the US and Britain, Google has opened it to 180 countries. The chatbot will be available in English in all countries, with 40 languages to be added in the coming months. The company hopes to get Bard into more people’s hands and modify it to support more languages.
AI-Enhanced Features to Be Added to Apps and Services
Google also announced the introduction of browser “extensions” that will imbue apps and services like Gmail and Maps with AI features. The Bard technology will enable features such as filling in text to help draft emails and suggesting ideas for artwork by scrutinising a picture of available supplies. Partners including Adobe will have the opportunity to build such extensions.
The Risks of AI
Despite the rollouts by two of the world’s biggest tech companies, AI’s potential threat to society remains a concern. Experts warn of the technology’s impact on the spread of disinformation and its potential to make whole categories of jobs obsolete. Some have called for a pause in the development of powerful AI systems to ensure their safety. Geoffrey Hinton, a prominent computer scientist known as “the godfather of artificial intelligence,” recently quit his job at Google to speak out about the dangers of AI. He maintains that the existential threat from AI is “serious and close.”
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