Bard is Google's answer to ChatGPT from OpenAI. Sadly, the chatbot didn't get off to a great start due to a factual error in its initial demonstration.
However, with the beta version now available to the general public, Bard is demonstrating a few promising features that may challenge ChatGPT. We gave Bard a test drive, and after doing so, we narrowed down all of the wonderful ways in which it can be of use to you instead of just another generative AI chatbot.
1. User Interface
The "material design" philosophy of Google emphasizes user-friendly colors, fluid animations, and a straightforward user interface. Bard's interface reflects this philosophy as well. You can quickly switch between the light and dark modes, access a helpful FAQ, and view your previous activities.
The user interface is very neat when compared to ChatGPT and Bing Chat. You can export a response to Gmail or Google Docs after it has been output by Bard. This is especially useful if you have any desire to involve Poet for work, as it saves you the difficulty of reordering everything.
Then, there's likewise a helpful Google It button that you can use to get to research Search straight away. This feature, which is not available in the free version of ChatGPT, can be used to verify the information in Bard's responses.
2. View Other Drafts
Another clever design trick that we have not yet seen with other AI chatbots is the View Other Drafts feature. Bard automatically generates at least three responses for each prompt and displays the one it deems to be the best. However, you can quickly view the other drafts and read through them fully to decide which response is better.
Depending on the complexity of the prompt, the other drafts can be radically different. You might want to check the other drafts if you're looking for specific information or a certain style of writing.
So, with three responses for a single prompt, you can merge multiple together to produce the response that you were looking for, too. This is quicker than rewriting the prompt with more specific requirements.
3. Audio Input
You can control ChatGPT with your voice using some workarounds, but there is no native way to do so. This is one of Bard's few victories over ChatGPT. To speak a prompt, simply press the microphone button in the text field. It functions similarly to the dictation feature found in Android phones' Google Keyboard.
Additionally, this is comparable to Google Search's Search by Voice feature. Bard does an excellent job of replicating the Google Search button that is already built into the program. Although it is still a nice-to-have, this would probably be more useful on phones than on your desktop or laptop.
4. Internet Access
Google has made it easy to connect Bard to the internet, making it free. This indicates that Bard will, if necessary, access the internet on your behalf and extract pertinent information. This is very different from ChatGPT's situation, where you can only connect to the internet if you use GPT-4 and pay the $20/mo subscription.
You can use Bard and Google's internet browsing feature for as long as you need to because you can give it as many prompts as you want. In addition, unlike ChatGPT, which can only respond based on information until September 2021, it does not have a cut-off date for information.
Bard is a competitor to both Perplexity AI and Google because it can access the internet and is more of a generative AI-powered search engine. It also faces competition from Bing's artificial intelligence, which Google is attempting to combat with its Search Generative Experience, or SGE.
5. Google Search Results
Because of its high-quality results, Google Search is the most widely used search engine in the world. Users do ultimately discover what they were looking for. Thus, another way Minstrel one-ups any remaining contenders (counting Bing Talk, which is definitely not an immediate contender for this item) is by putting together its reactions with respect to research Indexed lists.
Overall, Bard's text generation is not significantly superior to ChatGPT's. However, it gets its information from websites that rank high on Google's SERP (Search Engine Results Pages), making it more trustworthy.
As such, with Minstrel, you get Google's excellent website page ordering and positioning element in addition to a chatbot summarizing the data for you.
6. Location-Sensitivity
Google Search's results are relevant to your location and context, which is one of its strengths. As a result, you won't receive hotel recommendations for San Francisco if you search for "hotels near me" in Amsterdam.
Bard shares the same circumstance. At the point when you give it admittance to your area, it tailors its reactions as needs be, giving you what you're searching for. This shows that Minstrel grasps the setting of your prompts (however not in all cases) better.
For instance, when you ask Poet for a connection to a specific item, it will give you a connection to a store that is inside your country. This feature is based on Bing's search results and is available in Bing Chat as well. Additionally, Bing Chat's responses to such inquiries are typically limited to two choices, as opposed to Bard's typically extensive responses.
Google Is Playing Its Cards Well With Bard
Google appears to be giving its rivals a run for their money by packing internet access, audio input, and location-sensitivity into an AI chatbot with a great user interface. The fact that Bard is free and can be used in any way you want is probably Google's biggest advantage right now.
It is likely that Google will also come up with a novel approach to monetization this time around, given how it monetized Search in the past without charging users directly. Again, this would go against what its rivals, such as OpenAI, are doing: charging a straightforward month to month membership to oversee costs.
