I Tested Google Bard: Surprising Discoveries and Limitations

Google Bard, the AI chatbot powered by the world's most popular search engine, has garnered attention since its release. Eager to explore its capabilities, I delved into testing Bard, expecting a significant advancement over its counterparts. However, my experience with Google Bard left me surprised, though not in a positive way. In this blog post, I will share my findings based on personal experimentation and insights from various reviews.

Google Bard's Functionality and Knowledge Limitations:

One of the initial discrepancies I noticed was the time it takes for Google Bard to generate responses. Unlike ChatGPT and Bing Chat, which provide quicker answers, Bard lags behind, taking nearly thirty seconds. This delay could be attributed to the different large language models (LLMs) employed. Bing Chat and ChatGPT utilize GPT series LLMs, whereas Bard relies on a lightweight version of LaMDA, a Google-exclusive LLM.

Furthermore, I was disappointed by Bard's inability to answer straightforward questions. For instance, when I asked about the presidents of the United States, Bard failed to provide a response. This limitation became more apparent as users on Twitter shared similar frustrations, such as Bard's inability to list the 50 states of America. It seems peculiar that Bard, integrated with Google's vast knowledge, lacks basic information that even an elementary school student could recall.

Lack of Sources and External References:

Another drawback of Google Bard is its failure to provide sources or citations for its answers. Unlike Bing Chat, which includes footnotes and clickable sources, Bard leaves users to rely solely on its word. This absence of verifiable information impedes users' ability to dig deeper into the provided answers. Although ChatGPT also lacks this feature, it is understandable since it operates without internet connectivity. For Bard, a chatbot linked to the web, this should have been a priority to address.

Career-Building Tools and Text Generation:

Despite its limitations in information retrieval, Google Bard does offer assistance in certain areas. It proves helpful in generating career-related content such as resumes, cover letters, and essays. I tested Bard's capabilities by requesting resume bullet points and a professional summary based solely on my job title. Bard provided a decent starting point that could be tweaked for inclusion in a resume.

Additionally, Bard's text-generation abilities were commendable. When I asked it to proofread an article I had previously written, Bard swiftly provided practical suggestions to optimize the text. Similarly, when tasked with writing an essay on Google Bard itself, the chatbot generated a detailed description, though without any supporting resources. As with ChatGPT, fact-checking is necessary when using text generated by these chatbots.

Coding Limitations:

However, when it came to coding tasks, Google Bard fell short. I tested Bard's coding skills with two prompts, including a straightforward task to reverse a string in Python. Bard failed to generate a response for both prompts, displaying the same error message. This is a stark contrast to ChatGPT, known for its advanced coding abilities. The disappointing results highlight Bard's unreliability in this area.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, my experience with Google Bard revealed both surprises and limitations. While it excelled as a text editor and generator, assisting with career-oriented tasks and proofreading, it lagged behind in information retrieval and coding capabilities. Despite being integrated with Google's search engine, Bard's restricted functionality and knowledge base hinder its overall performance. However, it's crucial to acknowledge that Bard is still in its early stages, utilizing a limited version of LaMDA. Google promises updates with more capable models in the future. Until then, while Bard remains a useful tool in certain contexts, ChatGPT and Bing Chat are the more capable options, defying expectations given Bard's connection to the world's largest search engine.