Google has announced the launch of its Bard chatbot in the European Union and Brazil, following successful resolution of regulatory challenges faced in the EU. Along with the expansion, Google has introduced new features for the AI tool.
According to Google’s blog post, Bard can now generate responses in over 40 languages, including Chinese, Hindi, and Spanish. The update also brings region-specific features, such as the ability to receive spoken responses, upload images for prompts, and utilize AI analysis of photos.
This expansion represents Bard’s most significant growth since its launch in February and positions it as a direct competitor to Microsoft-supported ChatGPT.
The introduction of Bard to the EU faced delays due to compliance concerns related to the General Data Protection Regulation. However, Google’s senior product director, Jack Krawczyk, stated that the company engaged in productive discussions with privacy regulators and is committed to ongoing dialogue to ensure transparency, choice, and control for users.
To address data privacy concerns, Google will provide explicit notifications to users regarding data usage and storage, as well as an option to prevent Google employees from reviewing conversations. These control options will be available worldwide, extending beyond EU boundaries.
The use of chat services built on large language models has encountered challenges in Europe due to existing data protection laws. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, for instance, faced temporary shutdown in Italy due to similar concerns.
In the United States, Google is facing a new class-action lawsuit accusing the company of improper use of users’ personal information for training its artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
Meanwhile, recent web user statistics indicate a decline in monthly traffic and unique visitors to ChatGPT’s website in June, marking the first decrease since its launch, suggesting a potential decline in novelty.
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