Last updated: 21 November 2023

As the AI wars continue, Google Bard has been introducing incremental updates to its arsenal as it continues to play catchup with rivals like ChatGPT, Claude etc. In this article, we go over some of the latest features that we think you should try out like yesterday.

1. Homework Assistance for Teens

A notable addition to Bard's capabilities is its focus on educational tools for teenagers. Teens can use Bard for a range of tasks, from brainstorming science fair project ideas to learning about historical periods. Bard's math learning feature, where users can upload a picture of a math equation for step-by-step solutions, is particularly helpful for homework assistance. Additionally, Bard can assist with data visualization, such as generating charts from provided data, making it a valuable tool for educational purposes.

2. Ensuring Safety and Age-Appropriate Content

With a focus on younger users, Google Bard includes strict safety measures and age-appropriate content, ensuring that its features are suitable and secure for teenage users. This responsible approach underscores Google's commitment to providing a safe and enriching AI experience for all ages.

Google Bard's latest features mark a significant step in AI development, offering enhanced integration, reliability, accessibility, and educational value. These innovations not only make Bard a more powerful tool but also broaden its appeal to a wider audience, including the younger generation. As Bard continues to evolve, it's exciting to witness how it's reshaping the way we interact with AI technology.

3. Integrating with Google Apps and Services

Google Bard now boasts a feature known as Bard Extensions, enabling seamless access to information from various Google tools like Gmail, Docs, Drive, Google Maps, YouTube, and Google Flights. This integration allows users to perform complex tasks, such as planning a trip or drafting documents, within a single conversation. For instance, you can ask Bard to organize trip dates from Gmail, find real-time flight and hotel information, get Google Maps directions, and even pull up relevant YouTube videos.

4. Enhanced Double-Check Feature

The "Google it" button enhances Bard's reliability. This feature lets users verify Bard's responses with a click on the "G" icon, which then evaluates the response against web content. This verification process highlights phrases within the response, allowing users to explore supporting or contradictory information.

5. Accessibility in Multiple Languages

Google Bard has expanded its language capabilities, now supporting more than 40 languages. This expansion includes features like uploading images with Lens, receiving Search images in responses, and modifying Bard’s responses in various languages.

6. PaLM 2 Model: Advanced AI Capabilities

The backbone of these new features is the PaLM 2 model, utilising advanced reinforcement learning techniques for improved intuition and creativity. This model ensures that Bard provides high-quality and accurate responses for creative collaboration, language translation, or in-depth coding assistance.

Closing remarks

While these are substantial improvements from Google, it is hard to say whether they are close to catching up with the state-of-the-art offerings like GPT-4 by OpenAI. However, what we know for sure is that time is running out for Google. One can only hope that they catch up sooner rather than later, as history has taught us many times that monopolies in business are bad for end-users like you and me.