Google is also introducing its artificially intelligent chatbot called Bard to other members of its digital family - including Gmail, Maps and YouTube - as it looks to fend off competitive threats from similar technologies from Open AI and Microsoft
Announced Tuesday, Bard's expanded features will be delivered through an English-only extension that allows users to allow the chatbot to search information embedded in their Gmail accounts, get directions from Google Maps and find helpful videos on YouTube . The extension also opens up the ability for Bard to retrieve travel information from Google Flights and extract information from documents stored on Google Drive.
The expansion is the latest development in an escalating AI battle fueled by the popularity of OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot and Microsoft's push to add similar technology to its Bing search engine and its Microsoft 365 suite, which includes its Word, Excel - and Outlook applications was triggered.ChatGPT prompted Google to generally release Bard in March and then begin testing the use of more conversational AI in its own search results in May.The decision to give Bard more digital juice amid a high-profile lawsuit that could eventually cripple the ubiquitous Google search engine that powers its parent company Alphabet Inc.'s $1.7 trillion empire.In the largest US antitrust case in a quarter century, the US Justice Department accuses Google of building its lucrative search monopoly by abusing its power to stifle competition and innovation. Google claims that it dominates search because its algorithms produce the best results. It is also argued that it faces diverse competition, which is becoming more intense with the advent of AI.In theory, giving Bard access to a wealth of personal information and other popular services like Gmail, Google Maps, and YouTube will make them even more useful and encourage more people to rely on them.For example, Google believes that Bard could help a user plan a group trip to the Grand Canyon by identifying dates that work for everyone, showing different flight and hotel options, providing directions from Maps, and a series of informative videos from YouTube presents.
