What is chatbot Bard and how do I use it?

THE AI chatbot scene is heating up after Google revealed details about a ChatGPT competitor.

ChatGPT has taken the world by storm because of its clever ability to hold natural conversations, as well as writing near-perfect speeches, songs and essays.

Google is reportedly alarmed by the rapid rise and public cut-through that ChatGPT has achieved.

On top of that, Microsoft - a heavy investor in the project - now looks set to integrate it with Bing.

That could pose a real threat Google Search, the tech giant's prized jewel.

And so, Google has introduced Bard.

Read all about it below.

What is Bard?

Bard is the name of Google's AI chatbot.

It will rely on Google's own conversational language tool, known as Lamda.

But crucially it will use Google's search engine to get the information it needs to create responses - which could be a huge advantage.

How do I use Bard?

Bard has not been released publicly yet.

But Google is expected to reveal details about it at a major event in Paris on February 8.

The tech firm has already said a select group of testers will be able to use it first.

Then it will become "more widely available to the public in the coming weeks".

Is Bard free to use?

Bard will be free for people to use.

However, it apparently costs the firm itself a few pennies each time somebody has a go with it.

What has been said about Bard?

According to Google boss Sundar Pichai Bard "seeks to combine the breadth of the world's knowledge with the power, intelligence, and creativity of our large language models".

"Soon, you'll see AI-powered features in Search that distil complex information and multiple perspectives into easy-to-digest formats, so you can quickly understand the big picture and learn more from the web."

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