Google recently announced the integration of its AI chatbot, Bard, into popular applications such as Gmail, YouTube, and Drive. This move aims to provide users with an upgraded and seamless experience across various platforms. Bard Extensions now give users the ability to collaborate with the chatbot while using essential Google services, transforming the way users access information and interact with these services.
Bard’s New Features and Innovations
Yury Pinsky, Bard’s director of product development, reveals that the chatbot can now access multiple applications simultaneously through a single conversation. Yury gives a delightful instance of how Bard can help plan a trip for multiple people at once. The AI assistant can check everyone’s Gmail for available dates and access flight, and hotel information. It can also provide directions to the airport through Maps or suggest YouTube videos of interesting activities to do during the trip. Furthermore, multiple users can share the same Bard chat through a single link. This will allow each user to ask additional questions.
Another noteworthy feature is the “Google it” button, which allows users to double-check answers provided by the chatbot. This way, users can validate Bard’s responses via other online resources.
Privacy Concerns and User Control
As Bard gains access to personal email and documents, privacy and data usage concerns may arise. Google addresses these concerns by stating that it will not use this information to train Bard’s public model. Neither will human reviewers see it. Users are also given control over the integration of Gmail, Docs, and Drive, as they are asked to opt in and can disable the feature at any time.
