Will Google Bard Replace ChatGPT?
The advent of artificial intelligence chatbots has the potential to change working practices dramatically and save immense amounts of time. Some people worry that the advances in AI technology and the increasing sophistication of the algorithms and machine learning techniques that are used for chatbots will render many employees jobless.
When you can create fully functioning code with little more than a few considered prompts or “write” a full essay on a complex subject in less than a minute, it is natural to feel a little apprehensive. However, it seems that AI and chatbots are here to stay, and their potential is vast.
ChatGPT was not the first chatbot (Microsoft’s bot Tay was launched in 2016 but was an abject failure and was shut down after less than 24 hours) but it can be considered the first chatbot to gain mass usage since its launch in November 2022.
The current version is ChatGPT 4, which was launched in March this year and is far more sophisticated than its predecessors. However, Google has joined the race for AI supremacy with Google Bard, which was initially rolled out in a limited release in March 2023.
This article discusses both ChatGPT and Google Bard to try and ascertain the key differences and which chatbot is likely to become the dominant form.
Curated vs. live knowledge
Perhaps the main difference between ChatGPT and Google Bard relates to how the information is gained when prompts are issued into the software. ChatGPT relies on drawing information from a curated knowledge base. In the free version of the platform, the information has a cut-off point after September 2021. This means that if you ask ChatGPT for information on current events that are occurring now, it will not be able to provide an accurate and informative response.
In the battle between ChatGPT vs. Google's Bard, Google seems to have a distinct advantage as its AI draws information directly from the internet as live information. This allows it to give completely up-to-date responses when it is asked about the latest world developments.
This would seem to give Bard the advantage in the race for AI dominance. However, the importance of curated information should not be overlooked or viewed as necessarily inferior to live information. The information that ChatGPT draws from has been curated by human experts and validated as authoritative and accurate information.
This can allow ChatGPT to provide more useful responses when prompted for specific information that occurred before September 2021.
The Verdict: Advantage ChatGPT Currently
While the race is on, ChatGPT appears to have the edge at this stage. Its curated knowledge provides authoritative information that may be preferred for research tasks. Importantly, its responses are more sophisticated - a key consideration for many users. However, as Google devotes its vast resources to developing Bard, it may well catch up or surpass ChatGPT. For now, ChatGPT leads the pack.
To sum up
ChatGPT entered the chatbot arena first and this gave it a distinct advantage in terms of gaining high numbers of users. The fact that the free version uses curated data sources rather than live information may not be a major downside for many users who do not need recent information or data and appreciate the value of data sources.
However, it is likely that as the chatbot development intensifies, access to live information (and the ability to assess its quality and authority) will become more valuable. At present, it is difficult to say whether Google Bard will eventually replace ChatGPT; only time and development budgets will tell.