The AI race went into hyper-speed in late 2022 when OpenAI released ChatGPT. By January, it was the biggest app in history, and now new generative AI programs are coming out every day.
Of course, companies like Google had a head start. Their Google AI division launched way back in 2017.
Does that mean that their AI chatbot, Google Bard, is better than the rest? Read our official Google Bard review to find out.
What is Google Bard?
Like ChatGPT, Google Bard is an AI chat accessed via web browser that answers prompts using generative AI. The experiment, which launched in March 2023, is based on Google’s own LaMDA language model.
What is Google Bard used for?
Google advertises Bard as a “creative and helpful collaborator.” They’re careful not to suggest that you let it do all the work for you. Rather, they suggest uses like helping you make plans, troubleshooting lines of code, and sourcing tips to improve your daily life.
Google Bard is currently available in US English, Japanese, and Korean. It’s only available to Google users 18 and over—potentially to keep kids from using it to cheat in school.
Does Google Bard keep your data?
In a nutshell? Yes. Like all Google programs, Bard collects data on who uses the service and how they use it. You can block location tracking in your account settings, but any info attached to your account, including how you use Bard, is available to Google at any time.
Select Bard conversations are kept anonymously for up to three years for training purposes. For this reason, Google recommends that you do not include any identifying information in your Bard conversations.
At this moment, Bard conversations are never used for advertising purposes. However, Google indicates that this may change in the future.
Is Google Bard free to use?
Yes. Google Bard is free and requires no signup—all you need is your Google account.
Google Bard review: Features
Rather than going the Chatsonic route and adding features on top of ChatGPT, Google Bard keeps it simple. Like ChatGPT, it presents you with a chat box and invites you to start a conversation.
At any time, you can hit the “Bard Activity” option on the side menu to update your account settings related to storing and deleting Bard activity.
Google Bard vs ChatGPT test 1: Workflow
For my first test of Google Bard, I asked it to come up with some ideas for SEO optimized blogs related to generative AI. It seems to have misunderstood my prompt; it gave me 5 blog topics that cover both generative AI and SEO.
For comparison’s sake, I put the exact same prompt into ChatGPT. Not only did it understand my prompt, but it gave me insights into how to make sure the blogs were SEO optimized. Bard put more detail into each suggestion, but GPT easily wins this round.
Google Bard vs ChatGPT test 2: rewriting
One of ChatGPT’s most impressive features is its ability to turn your input into something new. Here, I asked Google Bard to rewrite the above section, “Does Google Bard keep your data,” in the style of the late Cormac McCarthy.
A strong attempt was made here, but I can’t say it’s totally successful. The terse style definitely feels like it’s trying to do McCarthy, which I guess is the most you could hope for, but it’s lacking in some key elements. I’m not sure how it settled on “Bardin’” as an abbreviation for using Bard.
ChatGPT, on the other hand, seems to have reimagined Cormac McCarthy as a pirate? Again, an attempt is clearly being made here, but it’s nothing to write home about. Maybe McCarthy was too much of a challenge.
Google Bard vs ChatGPT test 3: continuing conversations
Staying on the same topic, I asked Bard to rewrite the text once again, this time in the style of Dr. Seuss. Outside of using simple vocabulary and rhymes, it sort of fumbled this one, too.
There’s no sense of meter. Most of the couplets don’t actually rhyme. In its notes, it said “I used more nonsense words, such as ‘bard’ and ‘kin,’” both of which are normal words. All told, it seems like Bard may not be as good at creative tasks like this as ChatGPT.
ChatGPT didn’t show its work, but it managed to get closer to the feel of a Dr. Seuss poem. Every line actually rhymes, and most of them show an impressive understanding of meter. Moreover, this poem conveys all the information from the original text.
Google Bard vs ChatGPT test 4: life hacking
A lot of Bard’s marketing suggests you use it to make to-do lists, enhance recipes, and perform various other life hacks. I asked it to come up with themed office activities for the month of September, and the results were pretty thorough.
Each suggestion comes with a list of potential activities, and they’re set up to coincide with holidays. That being said, I think a brainstorming session between a few real people would probably yield better suggestions than “End of the Month Celebration” or “Working Parents Day.”
GPT went a different route here, giving me an undated list of suggestions rather than coming up with one for each day. The suggestions are a lot more creative, but I admire Bard’s approach in coming up with themes that fit specific dates.
Google Bard review: Is it better than ChatGPT?
After testing out Google Bard on a few different generative prompts, I was consistently more pleased with ChatGPT. However, Bard fared a lot better with technical prompts than creative ones, and GPT was often lacking on the technical side.
Bard may be more useful than ChatGPT for prompts that require the AI to show its work, such as science, coding, and research. However, AI services should never be mistaken for search engines. These bots are designed to generate language; any truth to their responses is essentially a coincidence.
Overall, in my opinion, Google Bard is not as good as ChatGPT. It’s still in an experimental phase, and I believe Google has the resources to make it useful, but don’t go around trying to replace your whole team with it just yet.
Overall score: 2/5 🫥
