Google’s Bard Expands Globally

Google announced on July 13 that it had released its Bard chatbot to users in the European Union and Brazil.

This launch occurred after the technology company overcame EU regulatory obstacles.

The territory expansion was accompanied by the introduction of new artificial intelligence (AI) tool features.

Google announced in a blog post that this artificial intelligence tool can now generate responses in more than 40 languages, including Chinese, Hindi, and Spanish.

In certain regions, Bard would also gain the ability to hear spoken responses, upload images for prompts, and use the AI tool to analyze photographs.

Bard’s expansion represents its most significant growth since its February launch. Consequently, it is now in direct competition with ChatGPT, a rival supported by Microsoft.

Bard, launched earlier this year in approximately 180 countries, has finally reached the European Union, according to the company, after delays regarding compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation.

Jack Krawczyk, senior product director for Google, stated that the tech company engaged in highly productive discussions with European privacy regulators.

He emphasized that ongoing communication is anticipated to ensure the incorporation of transparency, choice, and control as product development progresses.

According to Krawczyk, Google will now provide users with explicit notifications regarding the usage and storage of their data, as well as the option to prevent Google employees from reviewing their conversations.

Importantly, these control options will be accessible globally, well beyond the EU’s borders.

Existing data protection laws in Europe have created obstacles for chat services based on large language models.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT, for instance, was temporarily disabled in Italy due to similar issues.

Google is facing a new class action lawsuit in the United States that accuses the company of improperly training its artificial intelligence system using the personal information of its users.

Recent web user statistics indicate a decline in monthly traffic and unique visitors to ChatGPT’s website in June, the first decline since the website’s launch.