Google are launching their own chatbot to strengthen their AI capabilities, but what is it, and why is it exciting for searchers and SEOs alike?

What the Duck is…. Bard?

It was something we have all been waiting on tenterhooks for – and the suspense is finally over, as on Monday 6th February, Google finally unveiled their rival AI chatbot tool dubbed “Bard” [Mic drop].

With the use of artificial intelligence platforms such as ChatGPT spreading like wildfire in recent months, it was only a matter of time before big daddy Google entered the chat.

So, what is Bard?

Currently in the testing phase, with trusted third-party testers, Bard is Google’s experimental conversational AI tool, powered by Language Model for Dialogue Applications (or LaMDA for short).

In a blog post from Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Bard will be widely released later this year.

As with everything Google has been striving for in recent years, they are committed to providing users with an efficient and elevated experience, as indicated by the most recent algorithm update – the Helpful Content Update.

The AI-powered features will be available in its search results, with a view to enhance the user experience through a more intuitive way of navigating and understanding the web. “Bard can be an outlet for creativity, and a launchpad for curiosity,” Pichai wrote.

Below is Pichai’s Twitter statement regarding the release, in full;

“In 2021, we shared next-gen language + conversation capabilities powered by our Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA). Coming soon: Bard, a new experimental conversational #GoogleAI service powered by LaMDA.

Bard seeks to combine the breadth of the world’s knowledge with the power, intelligence, and creativity of our large language models. It draws on information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality responses. Today we’re opening Bard up to trusted external testers.

We’ll combine their feedback with our own internal testing to make sure Bard’s responses meet our high bar for quality, safety, and groundedness and we will make it more widely available in coming weeks. It’s early, we will launch, iterate and make it better.”

What Are the Benefits of Bard?

Millions of people have already dabbled in the world of conversational AI tools and AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT, with the promise of transforming and streamlining workloads in an easily digestible manner. So, how is Bard different, and how are users going to benefit from the feature?

Google reassures us that the purpose of Bard, and the continued development of AI is to improve the quality of search results.

Pichai wrote, ‘One of the most exciting opportunities is how AI can deepen our understanding of information and turn it into useful knowledge more efficiently — making it easier for people to get to the heart of what they’re looking for and get things done.’ The improvement in understanding intent and Google’s ability to display more relevant results is great news for the SEO community too – as it will mean that great content marketing aimed at users should be rewarded too.

As with all of Google’s updates and features, they’re keeping us on our toes and dangling the metaphoric carrot, leaving us teetering on the edge of curiosity and wanting to learn more. If one thing is for certain, the artificial technology landscape is something that is going to see huge changes in 2023.

Photo by Taha on Unsplash