If you're thinking about joining the Google Bard bandwagon, you're in good company. This digital troubadour is causing quite a stir among tech enthusiasts and investors alike. So let's unravel this digital tune and see what Google Bard is all about.
Unpacking Bard's ballad
Unpacking Bard's ballad
Think of Google Bard as a cousin to Google Search, built on a different technology and with a more conversational feel. Bard is a large language model (LLM) chatbot developed by Google AI, a division of Alphabet (GOOG -0.03%) (GOOGL -0.09%).
Like the better-known ChatGPT tool from OpenAI, Bard generates answers to questions entered in plain text, drawing on a massive database created by artificial intelligence (AI) tools and billions of pages of human text.
This isn't just a matter of Bard dishing out what it's been spoon-fed as a traditional search engine does. Rather, Bard learns from the inputs it receives, using them to craft meaningful, remarkably human-like responses.
The LLM generates text from the ground up based on a deep understanding of language patterns. Search engines simply find the published text you are looking for. So if you're wondering how Bard compares to Google Search, it's a bit like comparing a novelist with a librarian -- both are incredibly useful, but they have different specialties.
Does Google Bard hit the right notes?
Does Google Bard hit the right notes?
Google Bard is an interesting and powerful example of modern AI technology. Like ChatGPT's Generative Pre-trained Transformer engine, Bard's underlying Pathways Language Model (PaLM 2) is based on a large text collection that includes all of Wikipedia, lots of content from the open internet, and the nonprofit Common Crawl collection of freely available text.
The inner workings of PaLM 2 are different from the GPT model. Nevertheless, the end user sees similar results. However, Bard also has access to the Google Search service and can pull answers directly from the internet.
ChatGPT tried a similar integration with Microsoft's (MSFT 0.59%) Bing in the spring of 2023, but the integration was disabled six weeks later due to inappropriate Bing results popping up in the ChatGPT interface. ChatGPT might bring the Bing plugin back after setting up the right filters and safeguards, but search engine access is an integral part of Bard.
And if you're wondering why Google chose the name Bard, it's a nod to the poetic role of bards throughout history -- an apt title for a tool that spins the threads of language into engaging and informative narratives.
Navigating the Bard's verse
Navigating the Bard's verse
As an investor, you should keep an eye on Google's foray into the realm of large language models. Bard's development is a clear sign of the company's ongoing commitment to AI and its potential applications.
The speed of its deployment after ChatGPT stirred up public interest in AI and chatbots also highlights the depth of Alphabet's technology bench. Whatever new data analysis, machine learning, or AI tools might hit the public spotlight next, this company probably already has something similar on the back burner.
That is also true for other technology giants, such as Meta Platforms (META 2.91%) and Amazon (AMZN 6.83%). Microsoft's ChatGPT partnership is simply a different road to the same destination.
Amazon Bedrock
Is Bard ready for prime time in 2023?
Is Bard ready for prime time in 2023?
It should be said that chatbots can't serve as a drop-in replacement for standard web search and human ingenuity, at least not in the summer of 2023. Bard's official unveiling showed several examples of outright incorrect results, sparking controversy in the tool's early days.
Bard and ChatGPT are also known to "hallucinate" from time to time -- simply making up a reasonable-sounding result even if a simple answer is readily available. These issues will probably fade out as the PaLM and GPT technologies improve, but in the meantime, it may be a bad idea to rely on these engines for reliable fact-finding.
Related investing topics
In the long run, we can look forward to using Bard for a variety of tasks. Bard's capabilities extend far beyond basic internet searches, from drafting emails to writing code. The search engine integration makes this tool particularly handy and will remain a competitive advantage until other AI-powered chatbots figure out how a search feature can work with their platforms.
However, while Bard's capabilities are impressive, it's unlikely to overshadow its cousin, Google Search. Just like a king and his Bard, both have a role in our digital realm. While Bard offers an exciting glimpse into the future of AI interaction, for the time being, Google Search retains its crown as the go-to tool for internet information retrieval.
