It took a little more than two months for ChatGPT to attract more than 100 million users and to wake a sleeping giant.
On Monday, Alphabet and Google chief executive Sundar Pichai announced in a blog post a new conversational artificial intelligence service called Bard.
With the announcement, the world's third-largest technology company by market capital is taking direct aim at its next largest rival, Microsoft, which has ploughed at least $11 billion into ChatGPT, the viral AI service created by the non-profit OpenAI.
The new tool from Google begs the question: how is it different from ChatGPT?
Bard's features
Bard is expected to render stories just like this one obsolete. This is, after all, a news article written to answer the questions readers most likely will search for on Google about Bard.
Perhaps you ran a Google search on “Bard ChatGPT” or “how is google new thing different ChatGPT”.
Hopefully, this story ranked near the top to answer these queries.
Writing this story is a way of generating traffic for The National while — in my defence — addressing a societal need of informing the public in an accurate and timely way.
It is a story optimised for search engines such as Google. The search engine is often the first stop for people to gain access to news these days and it is a powerful traffic generator for media sites.
I admit, I consulted with our dedicated search engine optimisation (SEO) editor before I even began writing to make sure we were producing a story that would show up in popular Google searches.
This sort of publishing gamesmanship drives much of the content produced online today.
With Bard, it appears those days may be numbered as Google's search engine changes to incorporate a new large language model (LLM).
The LLM will be capable of drawing on “information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality responses”, according to Mr Pichai. The screenshot below, from the blog post, illustrates how queries may be answered in a conversational, text-heavy way at the very top of Google Search results.
As technology writer Casey Newton put it in his Platformer newsletter: “Google’s blog post suggests that their SEO-bait posts are about to be downranked anyway, whether they are generated by an AI or not. Bard will soon be taking your questions first, and publishers’ answers — whether they are written by human, robot, or something else — can all fight for second place”.
Ranking first in Google Search is a big deal. Data from firstpage.com found that ranking No 1 means about 40 per cent of people will click on that link. This is more than double the click-rate for second and a fourfold increase from ranking third.
It appears Bard will replace this ranking altogether, putting itself first with a narrative-style answer.
How does Bard differ from ChatGPT?
Bard has the advantage in terms of reach, access to information and the types of media it offers.
ChatGPT is often over-capacity, sometimes plagiarises its answers and confidently flubs math problems. That is to say, it is flawed. But it is still capable of producing thoughtful, accurate answers to a wide variety of topics. Microsoft plans to integrate the product with its search engine Bing.
In terms of market share, Bing accounts for less than one in 10 online searches while Google captures more than 80 per cent of the search market.
While ChatGPT has more than 100 million users, Google dwarfs that with one billion daily active users.
In that way, Bard is different from ChatGPT in terms of its potential reach and the amount of real-time feedback such use will provide, which is one way of improving the tool.
Bard also uses a “lightweight” version of Google's Language Model for Dialogue Application (LaMDA) AI model, while OpenAI’s ChatGPT currently relies on GPT-3.5.
“This much-smaller model requires significantly less computing power, enabling us to scale to more users, allowing for more feedback," Mr Pichai wrote.
Google's AI tool has access to real-time information while ChatGPT relies on training on data that ends in 2021. Microsoft has said it plans to use GPT-4 for its Bing integration, which may bring the two products closer together in terms of data quality.
Bard will produce more than text. While details are still vague, it will eventually have a multimedia element, providing information “from language and images to videos and audio”.
Is it out yet?
Yes and no. The California-based company said it would give “trusted testers” access to the new service in the beginning and will make it available to the wider public “in the coming weeks”.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
57%20Seconds
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
EA%20Sports%20FC%2024
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'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Visa changes give families fresh hope
Foreign workers can sponsor family members based solely on their income
Male residents employed in the UAE can sponsor immediate family members, such as wife and children, subject to conditions that include a minimum salary of Dh 4,000 or Dh 3,000 plus accommodation.
Attested original marriage certificate, birth certificate of the child, ejari or rental contract, labour contract, salary certificate must be submitted to the government authorised typing centre to complete the sponsorship process
In Abu Dhabi, a woman can sponsor her husband and children if she holds a residence permit stating she is an engineer, teacher, doctor, nurse or any profession related to the medical sector and her monthly salary is at least Dh 10,000 or Dh 8,000 plus accommodation.
In Dubai, if a woman is not employed in the above categories she can get approval to sponsor her family if her monthly salary is more than Dh 10,000 and with a special permission from the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai.
To sponsor parents, a worker should earn Dh20,000 or Dh19,000 a month, plus a two-bedroom accommodation
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 2
(Martial 30', McTominay 90 6')
Manchester City 0
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Company%C2%A0profile
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
ASHES SCHEDULE
First Test
November 23-27 (The Gabba, Brisbane)
Second Test
December 2-6 (Adelaide Oval, Adelaide)
Third Test
December 14-18 (Waca Ground, Perth)
Fourth Test
December 26-30 (Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne)
Fifth Test
January 4-8, 2018 (Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney)