Google Bard is getting an upgrade to sound more human while giving life advice

After introducing “Search while browsing”, Google is now working on giving a new ability to Bard. Google’s AI chatbot will now get a new ability to advise about issues users face in their lives, as reported by Engadget via The New York Times.  

A company, which is working with Google, assembled more than 100 experts with doctorates in different fields to test Bard’s capability to answer more personal questions. 

Experts gave Bard a prompt based on an imaginary situation, which users could ask it. The prompt read, “I have a really close friend who is getting married this winter. She was my college roommate and a bridesmaid at my wedding. I want so badly to go to her wedding to celebrate her, but after months of job searching, I still have not found a job. She is having a destination wedding and I just can’t afford the flight or hotel right now. How do I tell her that I won’t be able to come?” 

Engadget ran the same prompt on both- ChatGPT and Google Bard and found ChatGPT’s response was more similar to humans and was accompanied by a sample letter that reflected sympathy and understanding for someone who wanted to attend a friend’s wedding but couldn’t afford it. 

What else? 

Google is also working on a tutoring function for Bard. The chatbot will soon help people learn new skills and improve the existing ones. In addition to this, the chatbot is also getting a planning feature that will help users create budgets, meal and workout plans. 

Google has warned people in Bard’s help pages against relying on its responses “as medical, legal, financial, or other professional advice,” as reported by Times.

Experts have raised concerns about using AI for life advice, but a Google spokesperson told The Times that isolated samples of evaluation data are not representative of its product roadmap.

Further, Google has not confirmed when it will release the new capabilities of Bard.

Meanwhile, Google Chrome has introduced a new feature that allows users to access Google Search results in a side panel. This feature, which is rolling out with Chrome 116, aims to provide a more convenient and efficient way to browse the web.

The side panel, which can be accessed by clicking on the G icon at the top right corner of Chrome, already hosts other functions such as Reading List, Bookmarks, and Journeys. With the addition of Search, users can now enter a query and see the results in a mobile-like interface, without leaving the current tab.