Google’s new Bard chatbot has been on a waiting list for a week, in English only and with geographic restrictions. Futura tested it and explained how to access it and how it works.
Last week, Google finally opened a public test of its chatbot Bard, a direct competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and the new Microsoft Bing chatbot. Unlike the latter, which is based on the Large Language Model (LLM) called GPT, Bard uses the LaMDA model developed by Google. And unlike ChatGPT, but just like Bing, its data is up-to-date and it can leverage information from the web in real-time.
In order to access Bard, you must meet certain criteria. First, you must have an account with Google. If you don’t have one, you can create one for free here. You must also be over the age of 18 and be fluent in English, the only language currently available. You’ll also need to connect from the United States or the United Kingdom, the only two countries where the chatbot is available at this time.
From France, a VPN is required
Therefore, in order to test Bard, you must either relocate or use a VPN. The many paid VPNs work great, but you can also use the free VPN built into the Opera browser by selecting “America” as the location. Finally, the last condition before being able to chat with the AI is to join the waiting list. To do this, go to bard.google.com and click Join waitlist. Then it’s time to wait. In our case, the wait was five days, which was much faster than the waiting list for the new Microsoft Bing. You will receive an email once your account is authorized to use the chatbot.
When logging in for the first time, the site displays a warning that Bard is an experiment. Google warns that the answers may be wrong, even indicating at the bottom of the window that the information may be shocking and does not reflect Google’s views.
If you’ve used ChatGPT before, Bard’s interface will be very familiar. It’s just a chat window. Enter your question in English and the chatbot will answer you. You can then refine your query, provide additional information, or move on to another unrelated question. Bard will recall earlier conversations as context for what follows. Unlike ChatGPT, Bard doesn’t use multiple separate tabs for chat history, everything is saved in the Bard Activity section. To end a conversation and start a new one, click Reset Chat.
An AI that doesn’t always have an answer for everything
Just like ChatGPT, Bard has a few surprises in store. In this case, he is unable to answer certain relatively simple questions. For example, since he only accepts English, ask him to name all the presidents or all the states of the United States. The chatbot just tells you that it cannot help you. If you ask him what the first photo of an exoplanet is, he continues to reply with that of the James Webb Space Telescope, taken on September 1, 2022. It is actually the first photo of an exoplanet at the center of the planet. Infrared. The very first photo of an exoplanet dates back to 2004… Google had made an outcry about this mistake when Bard announced it in February, and the problem is still unresolved.
If you have doubts about the correctness of the information, each answer contains a “Google it” button with which you can start a classic search on Google. You can also click thumbs up or thumbs down to give feedback on the quality of the answer and train the AI better. With the “Update” button you can ask him for a different answer to the question. Finally, remember to be careful not to send any sensitive information. Google collects the data and uses it to train artificial intelligence. The company specifically states in its FAQ: “Please do not include any information that identifies you or others in your discussions with Bard. “.