In response to ChatGPT, Google, one of Microsoft’s biggest competitors, has made their chatbot ‘Bard’ public. Like ChatGPT, which is based on GPT-3.5, Bard is also a language model chatbot built on Google’s LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) technology – previously only available to a select few through their AI Test Kitchen -program.
ChatGPT has caused a stir in the tech industry since its arrival as a free research preview. The impact was so great that it led Google to declare it a “code red” internally. OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has also changed the perception of artificial intelligence in many people’s minds, with many wondering if AI is here to steal jobs.
For those who don’t know, Microsoft made a $1 billion investment in OpenAI in 2019, and later a $3 billion investment in 2021, and more recently, last January, invested another $10 billion to expand its AI capabilities. double your bet and take on rivals like Google, Amazon and Meta.
With Google joining the rapidly evolving AI race, it’s worth considering how their Bard chatbot compares to Microsoft and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. But is there a clear winner between the two?
ChatGPT vs Google Bard: Who’s Here to Win the AI Race?
In order to compare the two, it is important to first understand the main differences between Google’s Bard and ChatGPT. Bard is an AI-powered discussion service that uses LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) and web content to provide relevant, up-to-date answers to questions.
“We have been working on an experimental conversational AI service powered by LaMDA, which we call Bard. And today, we’re taking another step forward by opening it up to trusted testers before making it more widely available to the public in the coming weeks, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in a blog post on Bard.
ChatGPT is based on GPT-3.5 (Google’s equivalent of LaMDA) but with a knowledge cutoff of 2021. This means it cannot access the most recent information and is unable to provide ‘new’ answers. At first glance, this appears to be a significant advantage for Bard over ChatGPT.
ChatGPT vs Google Bard: Key Differences
It’s worth noting that OpenAI’s Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) model has been extensively refined in recent years, leading to the current skill level. However, Google’s Bard, powered by LaMDA, has some key differences. First, Bard is built on a lighter version of LaMDA, which requires less computing resources, allowing it to serve a larger user base and collect more feedback.
Second, Google’s LaMDA has been the subject of recent discussions. Blake Lemoine, a Google engineer, made a public statement that LaMDA was “aware,” sparking a conversation about the possibilities of AI. This led to Google’s termination of Blake Lemoine for making false statements. On the other hand, no controversy has arisen around OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
And overall, Google’s information database and native integration with Google Search could put it in a league of its own when it comes to offering detailed answers and more factual data dissemination. Microsoft has acknowledged this, and it’s clear that CEO Satya Nadella has been vocal about bringing ChatGPT to Bing, Microsoft’s own search engine. This could at least close the gap between the two chatbots, if there is one at all.
In addition, thanks to Google’s ability to provide accurate and concise information with ease, its extensive infrastructure enables it to create a seamless user experience that is unaffected by heavy traffic and delivers quick answers to queries.
No clear winner, at least not yet
It is too early to determine which chatbot is superior, as Google’s Bard is currently only accessible to a limited number of people and has not yet been subjected to the same level of public scrutiny as ChatGPT, which was made available as a free research preview.
Direct comparisons can only be made when Google releases Bard to the public. But from the looks of things and Google’s claims, Bard seems like a promising addition to the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence space.
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