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Google Connects A.I. Chatbot Bard to YouTube, Gmail and More Facts
Google hopes that giving its chatbot more capabilities and improving its accuracy will give more users a reason to use it.
Nico writes about Google and its related companies from San Francisco.
In March, Google released an artificial intelligence chatbot called Bard. It was Google’s answer to OpenAI’s hugely popular ChatGPT.
But Bard used less sophisticated A.I. than ChatGPT. It came across as less capable and less conversational. Within weeks, Google revamped the tool with upgraded technology, but ChatGPT continued to be the chatbot that captured the public’s attention.
On Tuesday, Google unveiled a plan to leapfrog ChatGPT by connecting Bard to its most popular consumer services, such as Gmail, Docs and YouTube. With the new features, Google took a step toward tying Bard into the company’s vast constellation of online products.
Bard has not received as much attention as ChatGPT. In August, ChatGPT had nearly 1.5 billion desktop and mobile web visits, more than three times as much as Google’s A.I. tool and other competitors, according to data from Similarweb, a data analysis firm.
Still, Jack Krawczyk, Google’s product lead for Bard, said in an interview that Google was aware of the issues that had limited the appeal of its chatbot. “It’s neat and novel, but it doesn’t really integrate in with my personal life,” Mr. Krawczyk said users had told the company.
Google’s release of what it calls Bard Extensions follows OpenAI’s announcement in March of ChatGPT plug-ins that allow the chatbot to gain access to updated information and third-party services from other companies, including Expedia, Instacart and OpenTable.
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