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Google appears to making more strides with Bard AI. In addition to the Assistant getting an AI revamp with Bard, it looks like Google is planning on rolling out a paid version of Bard that will be available through a subscription to Google One. In a recent thread on X, developer Dylan Roussel has discovered some interesting tidbits hiding on the Bard website that hint at this upgraded version, called “Bard Advanced”.
The crux of Bard Advanced’s new capabilities lies in the power of Gemini Ultra, Google’s top-tier large language model. This is a notable upgrade from the current version of Bard, which operates on the mid-tier Gemini Pro. According to Roussel’s screenshots on X, Bard Advanced is described as a “more capable large language model with advanced math and reasoning skills.”
2. Bard Advanced with Google One.
— Dylan Roussel (@evowizz) January 4, 2024
Google will allow you to get 3 months of "Bard Advanced" on them, through Google One.
Bard Advanced will use Gemini Ultra. pic.twitter.com/IqDWkpMDUg
“Motoko” and Custom Bots
Another intriguing update discovered by Roussel includes a feature codenamed ‘Motoko.’ This feature will potentially allow users to create custom bots, although it remains unclear if these bots will be sharable or if it will be a paid feature. This concept mirrors OpenAI’s move last year, where it allowed GPT Plus subscribers to create and share custom bots, called GPTs.
Google may also unveil a “power up” feature, using AI to enhance the prompts fed to Bard. Coupled with this is a “Gallery” section, which Roussel believes might enable users to explore various topics and discover Bard’s potential applications. Other tweaks include a new “tasks” tab for tracking longer jobs like image generation and the ability to add custom backgrounds to shared Bard prompts.
While the official launch and availability of these features remain under wraps, Google is clearly working hard to make Bard more capable so that it can compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. I expect that Google has been working on this sort of AI for a while now and the quick emergence of ChatGPT has forced them to show their cards. But regardless, it’s an exciting time for AI and I’m excited to see what Bard has up its sleeve in 2024.
