Google’s very own chatbot, Bard has finally landed in Australia, officially launching as an experiment. At Purple Giraffe, we love incorporating AI technologies into our work processes, having adapted ChatGPT into our workflow. So, when we heard about Bard some of us Giraffes were quick to jump on to test it out. Here are our key findings, similarities, and differences between Bard and ChatGPT to help you decide which is best for your business.
What is Bard?
Developed by Google, Bard is a conversational AI Chatbot that uses Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA), an advanced language model, trained on a gigantic dataset of text and code. This allows Bard to engage in open-ended conversations on a wide range of topics.
The idea behind Bard was to combine knowledge from all over the world with the intelligence and creativity of large language models. Essentially, Bard gets information from the internet and gives it to you in creative and enlightening responses.
This text-based AI tool can be used in a variety of ways, from research and understanding to content ideas and generation. Bard can answer math questions, help write code or even write you a delightful poem.
From a business user perspective, Bard can answer customer questions in real-time, assist in competitor research, generate content, and schedule meetings in your Google calendar. Acting as your personal digital assistant.
To start using Bard, all that is required is an existing Google or YouTube account. If you don’t have a Google account, creating one will take 5 minutes to set up – see how here.
Bard’s best features
There are many unique features that make Bard a great AI tool like:
- Referencing its responses with the website or article used to answer your question
- Finding any image on the internet – even of a purple giraffe!
- Built-in ‘Google it’ button
- Notifies you of the latest updates
- Gives you the option to download chat threads as a PDF
- Voice-to-text typing option
- Ability to change Bard’s location to match yours – generating more accurate responses
How much does Bard cost?
Bard is free to use as the technology is still in its development phase and Google currently has no plans to start charging its users. Google may, however, set up a pricing structure or paid subscription similar to ChatGPT when new features are released.
How is Bard different to ChatGPT?
The main difference between Bard and ChatGPT is Bard’s integration with Google search, meaning that your responses have come from the internet, making them current, factual, and relevant. However, ChatGPT bases its responses on past, entered data and machine learning, meaning ChatGPT’s responses are in line with what you have previously told it rather than what is true.
ChatGPT’s last data or ‘knowledge’ update occurred in September 2021. Therefore, if you ask ChatGPT about events that accrued after September 2021, the AI chatbot cannot answer your question accurately.
As mentioned above, Bard is still in its experimental phase, meaning some information and results may not be accurate or appropriate. At this stage, Bard cannot detect plagiarism in your text like ChatGPT can.
Should I use Bard or ChatGPT?
Both Bard and ChatGPT have their own strengths and weaknesses which should be considered when picking which AI chatbot to use in your business. If you’re looking for a free, easy-to-use interactive AI then Bard is a great option, if you don’t mind the slower response time and limited functionality. But, if you want an AI tool that has all the bells and whistles at a small cost, ChatGPT is the go-to, just don’t rely on ChatGPT to give you the absolute up-to date information.
At Purple Giraffe, we use both ChatGPT and Bard to boost Giraffe efficiency for our clients and to make us better informed on any topic we need.
