Google brings its AI chatbot Bard into its inner circle, opening door to Gmail, Maps, YouTube
PTI, Sep 19, 2023, 5:35 PM IST
Representative image (Credit: AP Photo)
New York: Google is introducing Bard, its artificially intelligent chatbot, to other members of its digital family — including Gmail, Maps and YouTube — as it seeks ward off competitive threats posed by similar technology run by Open AI and Microsoft.
Bard’s expanded capabilities announced Tuesday will be provided through an English-only extension that will enable users to allow the chatbot to mine information embedded in their Gmail accounts as well as pull directions from Google Maps and find helpful videos on YouTube. The extension will also open a door for Bard to fetch travel information from Google Flights and extract information from documents stored on Google Drive.
Google is promising to protect users’ privacy by prohibiting human reviewers from seeing the potentially sensitive information that Bard gets from Gmail or Drive, while also promising that the data won’t used as part of the main way the Mountain View, California, company makes money — selling ads tailored to people’s interests.
The expansion is the latest development in an escalating AI battle triggered by the popularity of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot and Microsoft’s push to infuse similar technology in its Bing search engine and its Microsoft 365 suite that includes its Word, Excel and Outlook applications.
ChatGPT prompted Google to release Bard broadly in March and then start testing the use of more conversational AI within its own search results in May.
The decision to feed Bard more digital juice in the midst of a high-profile trial that could eventually hobble the ubiquitous Google search engine that propels the USD 1.7 trillion empire of its corporate parent, Alphabet Inc.
In the biggest US antitrust case in a quarter century, the US Justice Department is alleging Google has created its lucrative search monopoly by abusing its power to stifle competition and innovation. Google contends it dominates search because its algorithms produce the best results. It also argues it faces a wide variety of competition that is becoming more intense with the rise of AI.
Giving Bard access to a trove of personal information and other popular services such as Gmail, Google Maps and YouTube, in theory, will make them even more helpful and prod more people to rely in them.
Google, for instance, posits that Bard could help a user planning a group trip to the Grand Canyon by getting dates that would work for everyone, spell out different flight and hotel options, provide directions from Maps and presenting an array of informative videos from YouTube.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
Plastic waste could double by 2050, researchers find, suggest policies to address issue
Six scholars, including two women, win Infosys Prize 2024
6G technology and intelligent receivers will ease way for army intelligence operations: IIT official
India successfully test-fires long-range cruise missile
IISc scientists develop enzyme-based solution to break antibiotic-resistant biofilms
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
Nobody should take Rahul Gandhi seriously: Nitin Gadkari
Ullal: Three students drown in resort swimming pool
Illegal Goa liquor seized in Bola village: One arrested
BJP leaders raising divisive slogans to polarise society, people shouldn’t fall for it: Kharge
Tempo crushes man to death, drags him in road rage incident in Surat; driver held
Thanks for visiting Udayavani
You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.