Google's Bard Chatbot: Expanding Across Languages and Conquering the EU

Google is expanding its generative AI chatbot, Bard, to more than 40 languages and launching it in the European Union (EU) after addressing data privacy concerns. This move positions Google as a rival to OpenAI's ChatGPT, offering fresh content generation from simple prompts.

Initially released in the US and UK, Bard's global rollout began in March, with support for Japanese and Korean. However, the EU launch was delayed due to concerns raised by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) regarding data privacy.

In response to the DPC's concerns, Google engaged with experts, policymakers, and privacy regulators to address the expansion of Bard. With today's launch, Bard is available in the EU, Brazil, and numerous languages, including Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, German, and Hindi.

Alongside the expansion, Google introduced new features for Bard, allowing users to adjust the tone and style of responses, export code to Replit, analyze images in prompts, and share Bard's responses through links. These updates aim to enhance productivity and customization.

Despite initial challenges, Google claims Bard has made significant improvements, particularly in areas like math and programming. Extensions from Google's apps and third-party partners, such as Adobe, have expanded Bard's capabilities.

However, recent reports indicate concerns over the working conditions of the humans training Bard, with contractors reportedly overworked and underpaid. Bloomberg's investigation highlights potential challenges in ensuring accurate and reliable responses from the chatbot.

With its expansion and feature updates, Google's Bard aims to fuel curiosity, imagination, and idea development. As the competition in generative AI chatbots intensifies, it will be interesting to see how Bard's improvements and market presence unfold.