Google has expanded the availability of its generative AI chatbot, Bard, to the European Union (EU), marking its largest expansion since the product’s initial launch in the US and UK in March. The move intensifies the competition with Microsoft’s ChatGPT, both of which offer human-like responses to user queries.
The EU launch of Bard was delayed due to privacy concerns raised by the Irish Data Protection Commission, the main data regulator in the bloc. The commission stated that Google had not provided sufficient information regarding the privacy protection measures for European users. However, Google has since addressed these concerns by engaging with the regulatory body, assuring them about transparency, choice, and control. Users will also have the option to opt out of data collection.
Amar Subramanya, the Engineering Vice President of Bard, described the product as an experiment and emphasized Google’s commitment to being bold and responsible in its development.
Google has also introduced new features to Bard, applicable worldwide. Users can now choose to have Bard speak its responses aloud and interact with prompts that include images. The update includes support for over 40 languages, allowing users to collaborate with Bard in various linguistic contexts. Users can customize Bard’s tone and style of responses and have the ability to pin or rename conversations, export code, and incorporate images into prompts.