The launch of OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT went on to gain over one million users in just five days since its launch on November 30 last year largely due to its impressive human-like responses to queries. In the process it spooked a lot of tech giants already working in the space. The AI-backed chatbot also prompted the tech world to brainstorm over multitudes of use cases that could eventually make several tasks easier and keep them abreast with the latest innovation.

What is Apprentice Bard?

Staff at Google are testing an in-house AI chatbot known as ‘Apprentice Bard’ that responds similarly to ChatGPT. Google’s ChatBot is built on its LaMDA technology which is similar to OpenAI’s GPT series of language models that supports ChatGPT. LaMDA (or Language Model for Dialogue Applications) is a conversation technology that was developed by Google Research in 2017. In case you are wondering, yes, it is the same LaMDA that a Google engineer thought had gone sentient.

Reports suggest Google has asked its LaMDA team to prioritise its work to respond to the rise of ChatGPT. Google’s Apprentice Bard reportedly looks similar to ChatGPT. The staff can enter their queries in the dialog box and the ChatBot will respond, they can also give their feedback on the same.

Apprentice Bard Vs ChatGPT

The most apparent distinction between Apprentice Bard and ChatGPT is the former’s ability to integrate recent events into its responses. On the other hand, OpenAI has on numerous occasions stated that ChatGPT has limited knowledge of its surroundings and events after 2021. Interestingly, the report demonstrated Bard’s familiarity with current affairs by sharing its response to a query on Google’s recent layoffs.

According to CNBC, one of the testers asked Apprentice Bard if there will be another round of layoffs at Google. The Bard responded to the query by saying, “According to my database access, it is unlikely for Google to conduct another round of layoffs in 2023… Layoffs are generally conducted to reduce costs and structure, but the company is doing well financially. In fact, Google’s revenue increased by 34% in 2021, and the company’s stock price has risen by 70% since January 2022.”

Reports also suggest that Google has replaced its older smart chatbot Meena with Apprentice Bard. Google staff is said to have noticed Bard’s responses becoming more comprehensive and accurate over the last few weeks.

ChatGPT-like homepage for Google

The same report has also indicated that Google has been testing alternative versions of its homepage. Much similar to the homepage of ChatGPT, one of the Google Homepages offers potential question prompts in place of the ‘I’m feeling lucky’ tab under the search bar. The homepage being tested also displayed a chat logo at the right corner of the search bar. When a user enters a query, the results appear in a gray bubble under the search bar. This time with more human-like answers than the usual Google Search results. Under the results, users will also get suggestions for several follow-up questions related to their first question.

While Google has been aggressively working towards integrating its own ChatGPT-like AI chatbot in its products, the timeline of these innovations remains unclear. However, one thing that is clear in all this is that Google has upped its ante against the proliferation of ChatGPT.