Google’s Bard vs. Microsoft’s Bing Chat: The Clash of Titans and Who May Win

“AI will fundamentally change every software category, starting with the largest category of all – search,” - Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, Microsoft.

It is no secret that Microsoft’s Bing search engine has always been several steps behind Google's Search Engine. Somehow it did not click with internet users. One might blame the Bing Search interface or how it brings up results, but you know that’s not it. I mean, Forbes tried to sum it up as, “Google was able to attract much better talent due to its reputation of being a more innovative and a more developer-friendly company, and because of its market position. Bing suffered from the anti-Microsoft sentiment among developers and was unable to attract a similar quality of talent.” Additionally, Google has been around for a longer time and has done incredibly well with its search algorithm.

However, the wind of change has finally taken a turn for the better- to an age of Artificial intelligence (AI) and more, particularly, Natural language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML). In an era when Elon Musk and Bill Gates (Co-founder, Microsoft) are significantly investing in ChatGPT, a conversational AI chatbot that is capable of producing long contextual paragraphs on any given topic (provided it is not about criticizing a certain messenger or Joe Biden or praising Donald Trump), whereas Google Inc. is experimenting with Bard.

Sharing his views on language and AI, Google CEO Sundar Pichai once said,

"Language is core to who we are as human beings. It’s how we understand the world, express ourselves, and communicate with others. And yet, only a fraction of the world’s languages have a digital presence today. This gap poses a threat to preserving cultural diversity, as well as to the development of AI."

This bard is quite different than Celtic poets and composers, known for singing praises for old English kings in the old English era. This Bard is American, based on Google’s LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications), performs functions just as ChatGPT but relies on the Google Search engine to produce accurate results (it tries), and it is still learning.

Google’s Bard is “your creative and helpful collaborator, here to supercharge your imagination, boost your productivity, and bring your ideas to life."

So, the obvious question is who wins when Microsoft and Google, two business giants have come to take your attention, your time, and probably your money (they say time is money, so let’s go with that)? How do you decide the winner in this modern clash of titans? What parameters should be taken into consideration?

The Clash of Titans: Bard vs. Bing chat

When I asked Bard that I wanted to compare these two services– Google's Bard and Microsoft's Bing Chat–  what do you think it said?

Here is what it came up with:

“Bard is based on Google's LaMDA language model, while Bing Chat is based on OpenAI's GPT-4 language model. LaMDA is a newer model than GPT-4, and it is trained on a larger dataset of text and code. This means that Bard may be able to generate more creative and informative text than Bing Chat.

Bard also offers three different drafts of the same response, while Bing Chat only offers one. This gives you more control over the final response, and it can help you to get the information you need more quickly”.

Microsoft’s Bing Chat also performed well when I asked the same question:

But what about ChatGPT? One might ask!

Google’s Bard Vs. ChatGPT: Who Wins the AI Battle?

The use of Google’s Bard and ChatGPT depends upon user needs and how one uses these tools, though a careful approach and fact-checking of some facts, is certainly needed.

StartupTalkyAbira Dutta

So how do we decide who performed better?

Well, Google’s Bard replies like ChatGPT (which failed to respond, as seen above). It produces texts, answering your questions with the help of Google’s ‘larger dataset of text and code’– but Microsoft’s Bing Chat answered with the help of resources available on the internet, paragraphically, along with hyperlinks of the websites— it compiled the results from.

Who wins this Clash of Titans?

Well, neither Perseus nor Hades!

Google's Bard is powered by LaMDA, a language model developed by Google AI, and as a language model, it is still learning. Though it is presumed to provide better results because it uses Google’s large dataset, Microsoft's Bing Chat, powered by GPT-4, a language model developed by OpenAI, is no less. It has the unique style of producing answers with hyperlinks to web resources which is quite helpful in determining the integrity of the results.

It still does not answer the question!

So, I guess, for now, it depends on individual choices and needs. Microsoft or Google can’t force you to use their search engines (or Bard/Bing AI), and you are free to use any of these. Whether you’re a conservative or a (woke) liberal, a humanist or a feminist, a white cis-male or a trans-person of color— you are free to make your own choice.

But what about the future? Who wins this battle in the next few years?

Since both Google Inc. and Microsoft Inc. are investing heavily in AI research and development, and both companies will continue to make significant progress in the coming years, as one can presume, ultimately, the winner of the AI battle will depend on which company can develop the most powerful and user-friendly AI technology.

It would probably depend on the capital each company is willing to invest in AI research, its development, and the talent each company can attract to its AI team.

Both Bard and Bing Chat are performing well. Bard hasn’t been yet launched here in India; however, you can use Bing Chat.

FAQs

Which AI Chatbot is better, Google's Bard or Microsoft's Bing Chat?

For now, it depends on individual choices and needs, and you are free to use any of these. Both Bard and Bing Chat are performing well. Bard hasn’t been yet launched here in India; however, you can use Bing Chat.

How do Google's Bard and Microsoft's Bing Chat reply to a query?

Google's Bard is powered by LaMDA, a language model developed by Google AI, and as a language model, it is still learning. Though it is presumed to provide better results because it uses Google’s large dataset, Microsoft's Bing Chat, powered by GPT-4, a language model developed by OpenAI, is no less. It has the unique style of producing answers with hyperlinks to web resources which is quite helpful in determining the integrity of the results.