Google’s artificial intelligence chatbot Bard has been given a visual boost, with the tool now able to integrate images into its responses.
Update logs on the Bard website show that the tool has been pulling images from Google Search to use in its answers, as of late May. As with all Bard updates, Google explains what it has done and why – in this case, it says this is an attempt to “bring concepts to life”.
You can now specifically ask Bard to provide an image of something, but you may find that Bard integrates images into its response to your prompt whether you ask for one or not, simply to enhance your response. For example, this was the response it gave me when I asked it to “provide some information about tigers”.
The response displays images of all six tiger subspecies, before going on to explain their dieting and social habits, their endangered status, and some interesting facts about the animals.
By contrast, Google’s AI chat rival ChatGPT will not provide images even if the user asks for them, instead replying with an apology and an explanation that it’s a text-based model.
ChatGPT developer OpenAI does, however, operate the AI image creator DALL-E. You need to buy credits to use this, or Craiyon.com** offers a free alternative.
This is perhaps the most notable example yet of Bard providing a feature not available on ChatGPT, although the “Google It” feature on Bard also integrates it more naturally into search and allows users to easily check the sources used to provide responses.
One point to note is that the images pulled through to Bard will not necessarily be copyright free. This is one of many reasons why businesses that simply copy content from Bard or ChatGPT and paste it onto their website are likely to find themselves in trouble in the long run.
AI tools continue to generate useful material that can help get you started, but it’s important to use human intervention rather than just add their responses to your site. At Engage Web, we use human-written and human-edited content to boost your website’s reach and grow your business. To learn more, contact our friendly team.
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