Google has just entered the generative AI market with the unveiling of Bard, its conversational AI service. Bard promises to provide “fresh, high-quality responses” to questions by sourcing information from across the web, which is reminiscent of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Despite its similarities to ChatGPT, Google has been quick to emphasize that it has been developing its AI systems for six years, making it much more than just a newcomer to the market.
“AI is the most profound technology we are working on today. Whether it’s helping doctors detect diseases earlier or enabling people to access information in their own language, AI helps people, businesses and communities unlock their potential. And it opens up new opportunities that could significantly improve billions of lives. That’s why we re-oriented the company around AI six years ago – and why we see it as the most important way we can deliver on our mission: to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”
Google has been vocal about its criticism of ChatGPT’s models, citing their inaccuracies and potential for reputational risk. However, Google’s own AI output is considered to be less likely to be caught by Google’s own crawlers, making it a more attractive option for those looking to use AI outputs for SEO purposes. It’s important to note that Google explicitly states that AI-generated content goes against its guidelines, and there is always a risk of errors, plagiarism, and misinformation.
In contrast to ChatGPT’s focus on outputting content, Google positions Bard as a tool for discovery and deeper understanding. Google plans to make Bard available in Search, where it will generate answers in-stream, and is also looking to release a standalone version of the Bard UI, along with developer releases. The company aims to create a suite of tools and APIs that will make it easier for others to build innovative applications with AI.
It’s clear that AI responders are the future of search, and with Google’s entry into the market, we can expect even more exciting developments in the coming months. In fact, just as Google announced Bard, Microsoft announced a press conference in conjunction with OpenAI, signaling that the search battle is back on.
If you’d like assistance in understanding or leveraging Bard, ChatGPT or any other AI tools in your digital marketing, please contact us today. We’re here to help.
