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OpenAI’s ChatGPT has been the world’s most popular AI chat bot since release in November 2022. However, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google has positioned PaLM 2-powered Bard as a serious competitor. ChatGPT is an AI language model built upon OpenAI’s GPT-4 model. This model can respond to prompts and has the ability to communicate with its users in a conversational manner. The AI has the ability to complete numerous natural language processing (NLP) tasks such as text summarization, language translations, question answering, and blog post generation. Let’s compare Google Bard v ChatGPT.
Google Bard vs ChatGPT
Similar to ChatGPT, Bard AI also acts as an AI chatbot. It previously used LaMDA, but has since been upgraded to use Google’s large language model (LLM) PaLM 2. Following an update announced on the 27th of September 2023, there is not much separating the two options. Bard has the capability to access information from the internet, powered by Google Search, whereas ChatGPT now also has internet access via Microsoft’s Bing Search engine.
| Company | AI Chatbot | LLM (Large Language Model) | CEO | Free Trial | ‘Free Forever’ Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google (Alphabet) | Google Bard | PaLM 2 | Sundar Pichai | Yes | Yes |
| OpenAI | ChatGPT | GPT 3.5 or GPT-4 or GPT-4V | Sam Altman | Yes | Yes |
This also means ChatGPT can read links. This makes both chatbots more powerful than any search engine. Unless you specifically need something pre-existing, such as in the case of looking up an article to quote someone, Google Bard and ChatGPT can use machine learning and generative AI to create something new or paraphrase from the internet.
According to Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, this standout feature will “provide fresh, high-quality responses”. And because of this, many expect Bard to be much more reliable than ChatGPT.
Also, Google’s PaLM 2 model will apparently require less server capacity than OpenAI’s GPT 3.5 architecture. Therefore, Bard AI could potentially accommodate more users compared to ChatGPT.
Bard AI v ChatGPT: Comparison
| Bard AI | ChatGPT | |
|---|---|---|
| Creators | OpenAI | |
| Release Date | February 2023 | November 2022 |
| Main Features | Conversational generative AI chatbot Built on Google’s PaLM 2 LLM Draws information from the internet | Conversational generative AI chatbot Built on OpenAI’s GPT-4 LLM Draws information from the internet |
| Accessibility | Free to the public Available in Japanese, Korean and English | Free to the public ChatGPT API $20/month subscription (ChatGPT Plus) Scalable business subscription (ChatGPT Enterprise) Multilingual |
| Uses | Assist in basic search functions Explain complex concepts, and topics Generate ideas Write code Generate images Integrates with Docs and Gmail | Plugin support Create marketing material Perform language translation Generate ideas Generate images Write code and essays Explain complex concepts, and topics Understand image inputs |
These chatbots are both similar and different in many ways. Google Bard AI features an easy-to-use user interface – simply input a prompt and watch Bard generate an answer.
ChatGPT also has a similar functionality but has the added bonus of a past history section. This boosts the user experience by allowing you to jump back into any chat thread you’ve previously had with the bot, whenever.
A key distinction between these two models is ChatGPT’s multimodality. If you upgrade to ChatGPT Plus you’ll be able to input both text and image prompts, revolutionizing the way you converse with this AI bot.
Looking towards the future, both ChatGPT and Bard will gain third-party plugins. These will integrate seamlessly with the service allowing you access different sources of data from various businesses. Confirmed partnerships include OpenTable and Expedia.
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Bard AI v ChatGPT – which is better?
It depends really. Purely based on capabilities, Bard AI uses a more recent dataset based upon Google’s PaLM 2 model and can access real-time data from the internet. ChatGPT now has no knowledge cutoff either, making accessibility of information practically equivalent across both options.
ChatGPT, from first impressions, seems to produce more accurate human-like responses though. When Bard was launched it famously failed to answer a question about the James Webb Space Telescope. This flop definitely raised questions about the chatbot’s accuracy. Although, as with any AI model 100% accuracy and reliability can never be achieved. So, this is something to bear in mind when using both tools.
If you upgrade to OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus subscription you will gain access to advanced new features that Bard doesn’t offer – multimodality. Powered by the GPT-4 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) large language model, the premium ChatGPT-4 service can accept inputs of both both and image, as well as generating text or image outputs, thanks to the integration of DALL-E 3. This in addition to plugin support makes ChatGPT the best option overall.
Bard AI v ChatGPT for data science
When it comes to data science, Bard AI should have the upper hand. As data science is a field where insights are drawn from statistical information, having the most up-to-date information is key.
So, while ChatGPT should be capable of delivering insights, Bard should win this face-off – it being designed to continually draw from data sources on the Internet.
Is Google’s Bard available?
Yes, Google has completely cleared their waitlist and Bard is now available to use. Throughout 2023, the tech giant has opened up the bot to 180 countries and territories across the world. It is also now available to use in English, Japanese and Korean.
Final Thoughts
Both ChatGPT and Bard AI are extremely powerful AI models. It will definitely be interesting to see how both models evolve and develop in the future to ensure they keep their competitive edge, especially with more creative dialogue applications, such as jokes or poems or complex topics and queries.
There are a number of excellent Google Bard and ChatGPT alternatives on the market, so if neither sounds right for you, be sure to check out what’s available.
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