The success of ChatGPT has not gone unnoticed by Google, as it’s said to be working on its own competitor to the chatbot called Apprentice Bard.
Pocket-lint
Google is apparently feeling the heat from ChatGPT and has accelerated its own AI development in response.
Artificial intelligence isn’t new. But for whatever reason, one little chatbot is captivating everyone right now: ChatGPT. Developed by San Francisco-based research lab OpenAI, ChatGPT seems to be exploding in popularity because it’s easy to use and can provide eerily human-like responses to a wide range of questions and prompts. It was trained on a vast amount of text data from the internet (up until 2021) and can be used to write essays, answer questions, solve math problems, and it can even do fun things like generate responses in the style of a celebrity voice.
The best part? It’s free, and it’s easily accessible on the web.
The success of ChatGPT has not gone unnoticed by Google, as it’s said to be working on its own competitor to the chatbot called Apprentice Bard.
What is Apprentice Bard?
Google staff have been developing a number of AI products in response to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, according to a report by CNBC, including an AI chatbot called Apprentice Bard. Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, recently declared a “code red” and is speeding up development of these AI-powered products. Apprentice Bard is said to powered by Google’s LaMDA conversation technology, which enables the creation of advanced chatbots that can understand and respond to a wide range of questions and requests in a natural and human-like manner.
Apprentice Bard uses LaMDA and apparently functions similarly to ChatGPT in that you type in a question or a prompt and receive a written response in return. However, it’s capable of providing information on recent events. ChatGPT is unable to due to its limited knowledge cut-off of 2021. One example provided by CNBC was Apprentice Bard’s ability to answer if there would be a fresh round of layoffs at Google (it replied “unlikely this year”). It is worth noting LaMDA previously stirred up controversy after a former Googler claimed it gained sentience.
Is it really called Apprentice Bard?
Google has not officially announced its chatbot — let alone that it’s internally reportedly called Apprentice Bard. It very well could get a new name when and if it’s unveiled to the public.
When will Apprentice Bard be available?
Google is yet to announce its ChatGPT competitor – let alone a launch date. But the company is expected to reveal more about its AI-powered products at its I/O conference in May.
The New York Times reported Google plans to reveal at least 20 AI-powered products this year. But it remains uncertain which of Google’s AI products will be made available to the public. During a recent all-staff meeting, Google’s AI head Jeff Dean reportedly highlighted how the company is being cautious and placing a high emphasis on accuracy and preventing the spread of misinformation.
What are Google’s other new AI products?
Apart from the Apprentice Bard AI chatbot, Google is reportedly developing an image generation tool, a TikTok-style green screen mode for YouTube, and a feature called Shopping Try-on. The company is also working on new tools to make it easier for developers to create Android apps, as well as a wallpaper creator for Pixel phones. Keep in mind Google just announced it’s laying off 12,000 people, with Pichai recently writing in a memo to staff that “to fully capture [the huge opportunity in front of us with AI], we’ll need to make tough choices”.
Want to know more about ChatGPT?
Pocket-lint has an in-depth guide on the AP chatbot here: What is ChatGPT and why should you care?
