Google’s chatbot AI, Bard, recently received several new features and functions in its latest round of updates. These updates include expanded linguistic knowledge, improved response controls, and the ability to respond with spoken word in addition to text. As a result, Bard can now converse in nearly four dozen languages.
In addition to the previously supported languages, users can now have conversations with Bard in Arabic, Chinese, German, Hindi, Spanish, and more. Furthermore, the platform is now accessible from various regions around the globe, including Brazil and Europe. Jack Krawczyk, Bard Product Lead, and Amarnag Subramanya, Bard’s VP of Engineering, state in a blog post that as they expand Bard to more regions and languages, they will continue to follow their AI Principles, incorporate user feedback, and prioritize user privacy and data protection.
One notable addition to Bard’s capabilities is its newfound ability to speak. Users now have the option to either read or listen to the AI’s generated responses. This feature is particularly beneficial when users want to hear the correct pronunciation of words in the newly-added languages. To provide users with more control over their interactions with Bard, the AI’s tone can be customized. Users can choose from five distinct options: simple, long, short, professional, or casual. Currently, these options are only available for English-language requests, but the company plans to expand them to more languages in the future.
Bard now also possesses advanced image interpretation capabilities. Users can drop images into the chat prompt field, and Bard will interpret them accordingly. This feature allows users to request more information about the contents of an image or generate captions based on it. However, this feature is currently limited to English.
In terms of collaboration and sharing, exporting Bard-generated Python code has become easier. Users can now export code to Replit in addition to Colab. This enhancement streamlines the process of working with collaborators. Additionally, users can now copy and share portions of individual chats with other users. The organization and revisitation of past conversations have also been simplified through the addition of pinned conversations and the ability to rename them.
These updates to Google’s Bard AI chatbot significantly enhance its capabilities and improve the user experience. With expanded language support, spoken responses, customizable tone, image interpretation, and improved collaboration features, Bard continues to evolve as a versatile and user-friendly chatbot AI.