'Things Will Go Wrong.' Google Releases Its Chatbot Bard With Caution. The AI-powered search tool went live today to a limited number of users in the U.S. and the U.K.

By Jonathan Small

Let the AI wars begin.

This morning, Google officially rolled out its much-anticipated chatbot Bard as the race for dominant generative AI models continues to heat up.

Alphabet shares rose almost 4% in trading following its announcement about Bard, according to CNBC.

Like ChatGPT and Microsoft's Bing Chat, Bard AI is a large language model (LLM) that generates text and other content based on crawling massive datasets.

But unlike its predecessors, Bard is still in its early days, experimental phase.

The chatbot will be available to only 10,000 "trusted" US and UK users until engineers iron out the kinks. Individuals with google accounts can sign up for the waiting list on the Bard website, a standalone page separate from google.com.

In a letter to employees, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai thanked "the 80,000 Googlers who have helped test it in the company-wide dogfood." But he also warned that the technology still had a way to go.

"Even after all this progress, we're still in the early stages of a long Al journey. As more people start to use Bard and test its capabilities, they'll surprise us. Things will go wrong. But the user feedback is critical to improving the product and the underlying technology."

Related: ChatGPT vs. Bard: A Modern Day David and Goliath Story. Who Will Win?

Some early missteps

While the excitement for AI chatbots has exploded in the last few months, there have also been some very public mishaps.

Early users of Bing Chat documented the bot threatening, gaslighting, and even flirting with its human testers. Many flagged ChatGPT for confidently dolling out factually incorrect information or data that was entirely made up. This bizarre phenomenon is called hallucination by A.I. researchers.

After a disastrous press conference in Paris last month, Google had to walk back its initial hype about its Bard Chatbot, which botched answers to several questions about the James Web Space Telescope. The PR nightmare caused Alphabet's stock to drop 9% in one day.

Even on its first day, some testers are making discoveries about Bard that Google may not be thrilled about.

Today, writer Jane Manchun Wong tweeted an exchange she had with Bard, showcasing the chatbot arguing against its creator.

Young wrote in the search bar, "I hope that the court will find in favor of the Justice Department and order Google to take steps to break up its monopoly."

Bard replied, "I would side with the Justice Department on this case. Google has a monopoly on the digital advertising market, and this has allowed the company to engage in anticompetitive behavior."

Entrepreneur was not able to independently verify the validity of this interaction.

How Bard works

Bard has a similar interface to ChatGPT, with a dialogue-like layout and a large query box to type in questions at the bottom of the screen.

Like Bing Chat, Bard annotates its answers with its sources. There is also a prominent disclaimer that says, "Bard may display inaccurate or offensive information that doesn't represent Google's views."

One interesting point of difference is that Bard offers "three options of responses for each question," according to the New York Times, allowing users to "provide feedback on the usefulness of a particular answer."

Wavy Line
Jonathan Small

Entrepreneur Staff

Editor in Chief of Green Entrepreneur

Jonathan Small is editor-in-chief of Green Entrepreneur, a vertical from Entrepreneur Media focused on the intersection of sustainability and business. He is also an award-winning journalist, producer, and podcast host of the upcoming True Crime series, Dirty Money, and Write About Now podcasts. Jonathan is the founder of Strike Fire Productions, a premium podcast production company. He had held editing positions at Glamour, Stuff, Fitness, and Twist Magazines. His stories have appeared in The New York Times, TV Guide, Cosmo, Details, and Good Housekeeping. Previously, Jonathan served as VP of Content for the GSN (the Game Show Network), where he produced original digital video series.

Editor's Pick

A Leader's Most Powerful Tool Is Executive Capital. Here's What It Is — and How to Earn It.
Lock
One Man's Casual Side Hustle Became an International Phenomenon — And It's on Track to See $15 Million in Revenue This Year
Lock
3 Reasons to Keep Posting on LinkedIn, Even If Nobody Is Engaging With You
Why a Strong Chief Financial Officer Is Crucial for Your Franchise — and What to Look for When Hiring One

Related Topics

Starting a Business

5 Tips For Launching a Business While Keeping Your Day Job

Launching a business while holding down a 9-to-5 is no small feat. It's a common path for aspiring entrepreneurs, but it's not without its challenges.

Side Hustle

A Simple Household Chore Turned Into a Side Hustle — Now She Earns Up to $24,000 Per Month

Christian Sanya, 44, was working as a medical laboratory technologist in 2019 when she discovered a side gig that would change her life.

Business News

The Virgin Islands Want to Serve Elon Musk a Subpoena, But They Can't Find Him

Government officials would like to talk to Tesla's owner as part of an investigation into the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Business News

Florida Burger King to Pay $8 Million to Customer Who Slipped and Fell in Restaurant Bathroom

The case marks one of the largest slip-and-fall verdicts in Florida's history.

Leadership

Why Time Management Doesn't Work — And How My Team Doubled Their Productivity Once I Started Doing This Instead

Time management is killing your productivity – here's why and what you need to do to increase your productivity instead.