Alphabet-owned Google launched a new conversational artificial intelligence service called “Bard” on Monday, that will compete with rival ChatGPT, an AI service created by OpenAI.
The service aims to create innovative ways to engage with information, from language and images to videos and audio.
It will use the information from the web to offer new, high-quality responses, Google said.
The California-based company said it would allow “trusted testers” access to the new service in the beginning. It plans to make it widely available to the public in coming weeks.
Bard seeks to combine the breadth of the world’s knowledge with the power, intelligence and creativity of our large language models
Sundar Pichai,
chief executive of Alphabet
Bard is powered by Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA) technology that was unveiled by the company nearly two years ago.
AI-led LaMDA comes with next-generation language and conversation ability, the company said.
Generative AI includes algorithms (such as latest chatbot ChatGPT) that are capable of creating new content, including text, videos, audios, software codes and images.
Recent new breakthroughs in the field could drastically change the way we approach content creation, according to a latest report from McKinsey & Company.
“Bard seeks to combine the breadth of the world’s knowledge with the power, intelligence and creativity of our large language models,” Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said.
“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 nine-year-old, or learn more about the best strikers in football right now, and then get drills to build your skills."
Google has released Bard with its lightweight model version of LaMDA that requires less computing power.
It will eventually help the company to reach more users and gather more feedback.
The company said it would combine the external feedback with its internal testing to ensure Bard’s responses met 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,” Mr Pichai said.
The competition in the field of generative AI is heavy.
San Francisco-based OpenAI’s AI-based chatbot called ChatGPT has been creating a stir across the internet with its writing ability and responses to requests.
ChatGPT is a programme that comes up with human-like responses to prompts in seconds, based on information publicly available on the internet.
The programme has become hugely popular since its launch in December, while also raising concerns about what it is used for and its accuracy.
Alphabet is already using AI to improve the results of Google Search for billions of people.
“Soon, you will see AI-powered features in Search that distill complex information and multiple perspectives into easy-to-digest formats," Mr Pichai said.
"So you can quickly understand the big picture and learn more from the web … whether that’s seeking out additional perspectives, like blogs from people … or going deeper on a related topic, like steps to get started as a beginner."
Google said it is also important to make AI “easy, safe and scalable” for others.
From March, the technology company will start bringing in individual developers, creators and enterprises so they can test its generative language application programming interface, or API, initially powered by LaMDA with a range of models to follow.
API is a software intermediary that allows two different applications to connect or communicate with each other.
“Over time, we intend to create a suite of tools and APIs that will make it easy for others to build more innovative applications with AI,” Mr Pichai said.
"Having the necessary compute power to build reliable and trustworthy AI systems is also crucial to start-ups."
Last week, Alphabet reported lower-than-expected quarterly revenue in the fourth quarter of 2022 as its digital advertising business struggled under an economic slowdown that has choked corporate spending and caused mass layoffs.
The company’s revenue surged 1 per cent to over $76 billion while its net income dropped 34 per cent annually to $13.6 billion in three months to December 31.
Last month, the US Department of Justice and eight states filed an anti-trust lawsuit against Google, alleging it monopolised the country's $279 billion digital advertising market to stifle competition and boost its profit.
The company has also announced it will lay off 12,000 of its nearly 190,000 employees, about 6 per cent of the total workforce, after a review across its product areas and functions.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
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Classification of skills
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ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Have you been targeted?
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Tamkeen's offering
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
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Based: Tunisia
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The Perfect Couple
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Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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Job Title: Human resources administrator, Expo 2020 Dubai
First jobs: Co-ordinator with Magrudy Enterprises; HR coordinator at Jumeirah Group
Entrepreneur: Started his own graphic design business
Favourite singer: Avril Lavigne
Favourite travel destination: Germany and Saudi Arabia
Family: Six sisters
UAE SQUAD FOR ASIAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP
Men’s squad: Faisal Al Ketbi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Kathiri, Thiab Al Nuaimi, Khaled Al Shehhi, Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi, Farraj Khaled Al Awlaqi, Muhammad Al Ameri, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Saeed Al Qubaisi, Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Hazaa Farhan
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
