It seems that we are facing a new technological revolution. Or at least that’s what those most interested in the subject say.
Bard: How to Access Google’s Artificial Intelligence Now
Large corporations such as Microsoft, Google or Meta have started a dizzying race to have the most amazing artificial intelligence.
We recently told you about the arrival of GPT-4 and how this natural language model has been integrated and can be used from within Microsoft Bing. And this search thing, Google has a lot to say. Do you want to meet Bard?
Bard is the name that has received the equivalent of ChatGPT, developed in this case by Google. Now it is possible to access its preview version and start placing orders without hesitation. Will it be at the same level as GPT-4? For now, here we explain how to test this technology officially right now.
How to join the Bard waiting list?
As happened with Bing Chat, which initially required an invitation, to access Google Bard it is also necessary to sign up for a waiting list. The first step is to go to the URL bard.google.com from your browser. It is possible to follow the process from your mobile or laptop.
- Once you are on the main page, click on Join Waitlist.
- The next screen sure sounds. Yes, it’s the Google login page. That means that to try Bard you will need to have a company account, yes or yes. Interestingly, Workspace professional profiles are not supported.
- When you’re logged in, your account avatar will appear in the upper right corner of the window. However, if you try to enter from a country other than the United States or the United Kingdom, the message you see in the following image will appear.
- There is no problem with this because it is possible to use a VPN until Google allows you to test your AI from other countries. There are several free VPNs that will help you change your IP location, but one that has worked well for us is TunnelBear.
- Simply register and select the United States or the United Kingdom as the navigation country. It offers 2 GB per month for free which is more than enough to sign up for Bard.
- Finally, refresh the Bard page and hit Join waitlist again. In the next step, click Yes, I’m in.
Primarily, this notice tells you that you are already on the waiting list and thanks you for your interest in Bard technology.
How to access Bard when you receive the invite?
The time we had to wait from when we signed up for the waiting list until the invitation arrived was just a few hours. However, as interest grows and more users are added, the wait may get longer.
In either case, you should receive a confirmation email similar to the one you see in the image below.
Now you can reopen the browser and access the URL bard.google.com again. The first time you use the service, you will receive a warning that tells you a little more about the privacy policy applied at Bard.
Quoting verbatim from the official documentation, we find the following warning:
“We take your privacy very seriously and we do not sell your personal information to anyone. To help Bard improve while protecting your privacy, we select a subset of conversations and use automated tools to help remove personally identifiable information.
These sample conversations can be reviewed by trained reviewers and are retained for up to three years, regardless of your Google account. Please do not include information that could be used to identify you or others in your Bard conversations.”
It’s certainly good to keep this in mind before you start tinkering with Bard’s artificial intelligence. The truth is that this way of approaching the issue of privacy is not exclusive to this chatbot and, in part, the clarity of Google’s explanation is appreciated.
When you have accepted, you will find yourself before Bard. Does the look of him ring a bell? Yes, it is actually identical to the one we know from Bing Chat and ChatGPT.
Of course, everything looks very similar to the rest of Google applications.
Can Bard with ChatGPT?
Our intent with this guide is to help you get to Bard. To find out if it is up to the OpenAI proposal, we recommend you read our comparison between ChatGPT and Bard.
Now, as soon as you start to interact, you will realize that, for the moment, English is the only accepted language. A severe limitation for those who, like me, do not master Shakespeare’s language very skillfully.
Also, access is limited to only two countries, so you will be forced to turn on the VPN every time you want to access it.
On the contrary, as a point in favor, it seems that its operation is faster. It also supports voice input. It is certainly too soon to evaluate both proposals and name a winner. The race is still long.