Google recently made updates to its AI chatbot, Bard, introducing extensions that connect Bard to various aspects of Google’s portfolio, including Gmail, Docs, and YouTube. While some may find these updates interesting, it’s important to consider the privacy implications before engaging with a chatbot.
Google assures users that if they choose to use the Workspace extensions, their content from Gmail, Docs, and Drive will not be seen by human reviewers, used to show ads, or used to train the Bard model. However, it’s still important to be cautious when sharing personal information with any AI chatbot.
To use the extensions for Google Bard, you will need to have a Google account. Once logged in, accessing Bard is as simple as visiting the website in your browser. On the main page, you can activate connections to Google Flights, Google Hotels, Google Maps, YouTube, and Google Workspace. Each extension can be turned on and off individually. If you decide to activate the Workspace extension, you can tag specific areas you’d like the chatbot to focus on, such as @docs, @drive, or @gmail. For example, you can ask Bard to “Please check my @gmail and summarize the unread emails from today.”
It is important to manage your expectations when using the new Bard extensions. Many AI features released in 2023 are still experimental, and Bard’s update is no exception. The chatbot prioritizes the most recent emails in your Gmail and may only reference a few related messages when answering questions. For instance, if you ask it to name the oldest message in your inbox from WIRED, it may provide an email from last week instead of the actual oldest message. It’s always wise to double-check information received from a chatbot.
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In its current state, Bard with extensions may occasionally misunderstand the context of information it has extracted from your emails and documents. It may provide incorrect or unrelated information. For example, if you ask if there are any messages from your dad, Bard may pull a random Father’s Day promotion from years ago and label it as the only message from him.
Despite these limitations, the Bard extensions can still be useful. If you’re trying to locate an email or document but can’t remember the specifics, Bard can help. It was able to find information related to various topics I requested, from video games to swimming pools. Just keep in mind that the results may not always be accurate, and it’s important to verify any information obtained from the chatbot.
As AI continues to evolve, Google’s Bard is just one example of how companies are incorporating artificial intelligence into information retrieval. While the updates to Bard’s capabilities are interesting, it’s crucial to remain mindful of privacy concerns and approach the chatbot’s responses with a level of skepticism.
