Google unveils ChatGPT rival AI Bard

The experimental conversation AI service was released to "trusted testers" on February 6 and will be widely available to the public in the coming weeks.

After some speculation, Google's CEO Sundar Pichai revealed on February 6 that the company is currently going to be releasing experimental conversation AI service named Bard to "trusted testers". The company will gradually make Bard more widely available to the public in the coming weeks.

Pichai made the announcement via a blogpost. In the announcement, he said that the AI would be powered by Google's Language Model for Dialogue Applications or LaMDA.

"Bard seeks to combine the breadth of the world’s knowledge with the power, intelligence and creativity of our large language models. It draws on information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality responses. 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 9-year-old, or learn more about the best strikers in football right now, and then get drills to build your skills," Pichai said in the announcement blog post.

As of now, Bard is being released with a "lightweight" model version of LaMDA. This much smaller model requires significantly less computing power, which enables them to scale to more users, allowing for more feedback. "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," Pichai adds.

Pichai hinted towards releasing the service during the earnings conference call a week prior.