Google has opened early access to its ChatGPT rival Bard, but is at pains to explain how it’s just an experiment, and might not be very effective.
Bard is a “creative and helpful collaborator, here to supercharge your imagination, boost your productivity, and bring your ideas to life,” according to Google – but it may not be too helpful and may be a little too creative at the moment.
In a blog post written by two of the project’s leads, Sissie Hsiao and Eli Collins, they explain:
“While LLMs are an exciting technology, they’re not without their faults. For instance, because they learn from a wide range of information that reflects real-world biases and stereotypes, those sometimes show up in their outputs. And they can provide inaccurate, misleading or false information while presenting it confidently. For example, when asked to share a couple suggestions for easy indoor plants, Bard convincingly presented ideas…but it got some things wrong, like the scientific name for the ZZ plant.”
Elsewhere they describe Bard as “an early experiment that lets you collaborate with generative AI” and a tool “to boost your productivity, accelerate your ideas and fuel your curiosity.”
The cautious is understandable. Bard famously fumbled some basic information about NASA during a disastrous public demonstration last month, causing a $140 billion company valuation drop overnight as fleeing investors were less than impressed.
Bill Gates is less cautious than Google about the technology, calling it the “most important advance in technology since the graphical user interface,” on his Gates Notes blog.
“The development of AI is as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the internet, and the mobile phone.
“It will change the way people work, learn, travel, get health care, and communicate with each other. Entire industries will reorient around it. Businesses will distinguish themselves by how well they use it.”
Open access is currently only available to US and UK users.
