The recent flood of developments around AI-powered chatbots has seen OpenAI race into the public consciousness. That’s thanks to a Chat GPT service with subscription models. Google’s own AI chatbot will be Bard, but is Bard AI free to use?

You’ll be happy to hear that Google Bard is free! The general public can now sign up for the waiting list on the Bard website to start using the AI chatbot. Right now, the “conversational AI service” Google is calling ‘Bard’ is only available in certain regions. We expect there will then be a wider public release, but that may not be for a few weeks.

Google has a long history of providing free access to services – just look at Gmail and…well, Google search! But in the future it may also offer a tiered subscription model similar to the Chat GPT price structure. That would be one that allows general public access for free, while professional users get priority access.

Is Bard AI available?

Yes, the Google Bard chatbot is available to the public. The AI technology that Bard is based on is called LaMDA (language model for dialogue applications). It is Google’s own language-learning AI model, like GPT-4 that is used in the Chat GPT application.

Bard is open to the general public, but only in certain regions. The service is its own stand-alone application and you can use it in a similar way to OpenAI’s Chat GPT.

How do I access Google Bard?

Right now you can access Google Bard. Simply, head over to the Bard website and sign up for their waiting list. The tech giant is granting access swifty, so expect to be able to use the new AI chatbot in a day or two of joining.

How do I access Google Bard outside the US?

Google Bard is only available in the UK and the US, but you can use a VPN to access it from anywhere! A VPN is a service that encrypts your traffic and routes it through a server in another country. Simply, set your location to either the UK or the US and try accessing the chatbot from the Google Bard website.

PC Guide expert view

With the arrival of Bard, alongside the new Microsoft Bing Chatbot functionality, AI is ever more involved in our online lives. Once the new Bing, Google Bard, and Chat GPT are all up and running, it may change how we find and use information long into the future.

We’re keeping an eye on things to bring you the latest information and helpful how-tos in navigating this AI language revolution!

About the Author

Kevin Pocock

Kevin has a broad interest and enthusiasm for consumer electronics, PCs, and all things consumer tech. And more than 17 years experience in tech journalism.