Google has been working on an alternative to ChatGPT for some time after verifying that this artificial intelligence could be capable of replacing its own search engine. The company, in fact, went so far as to activate a “red code” to restructure the teams in charge of developing AI models with the aim of working on one that could become an alternative to the popular text generator, and it seems that they have made progress. considerably since then.
According to CNBC, the Mountain View firm is already testing chatbots similar to OpenAI’s. The most complete? One baptized internally as “Apprentice Bard” and that, in addition, is based on LaMDA.
This, yes, is not the only AI that Google is working on to deal with ChatGPT. The aforementioned medium also mentions “Atlas”, a project carried out by the company’s cloud division and which also seems to be a chatbot similar to OpenAI’s. “Apprentice Bard”, however, is the AI that “in the short term, takes precedence over other projects” states CNBC. It is also the one that seems to be the most advanced in terms of development, and the one that could be integrated with some of Google’s most popular services.
“Apprentice Bard” is very similar to the AI of OpenAI, but with an important difference
This model of artificial intelligence, which in Spanish means “apprentice of bard”, is run by the LaMDA team, Google’s controversial chat technology, and its operation appears to be identical to ChatGPT. Employees currently testing it can ask questions to get answers that are even more current than what ChatGPT offers.
Interestingly, one of the workers who has been able to test the new Google chatbot based on LaMDA, asked him if there would be layoffs by the company. “Apprentice Bard” replied: “Based on my access to the database, Google is unlikely to carry out another round of layoffs in 2023. Layoffs are usually done to reduce costs and structure, but to the company he is doing well financially. In fact, Google’s revenue increased 34% in 2021, and the company’s stock price has risen 70% since January 2022.”
ChatGPT, for example, could not have answered this question, or would have provided inaccurate or out-of-date results. Mainly, because GPT-3, the AI on which this chatbot is based, was last updated in 2021.
In parallel, CNBC also highlights that Google is testing an alternative search page to its popular search engine so that users can ask questions and directly obtain an answer. The aforementioned medium affirms that this section will offer “more human responses than typical search results”. This service could be a response to Bing and Microsoft’s intention to introduce ChatGPT in its browser.
Google has also been internally testing the capabilities of ChatGPT
Image created by an AI
Google, of course, also wanted to check the level of ChatGPT to compare its capabilities with LaMDA and the other models they are currently working on. One of the tests consisted of asking a series of questions to see if the AI was eligible for a position as a level 3 programmer at Google. ChatGPT answered correctly and was deemed suitable for hire at Google.
Of course they won’t. In fact, the company has stressed that AI cannot replace programmers. Specifically, they state that “they can help programmers work more efficiently,” but that they “can’t replace the creativity and artistry that go into a great program.”