In Paris on February 8, Google did not reveal Bard. If rapid demonstrations of generative AI have taken place, Google says it wants to move forward cautiously, while presenting a vision very different from that of Microsoft.
Is Google’s domination of search threatened by the emergence of new artificial intelligences, such as ChatGPT? The scenario of the past few days suggests that Google, as powerful as it is, is extremely suspicious of what is happening at OpenAI and Microsoft. After announcing Bard, its ChatGPT competitor, on February 6, Google took advantage of a Paris press conference on February 8 to show off its artificial intelligence for the first time. However, all the clues suggest that Google is reacting urgently, without any real desire to change anything in its search engine for the moment.
Was Bard’s announcement planned?
Did Google plan to announce Bard on February 8, or is it reacting to announcements from Microsoft and OpenAI, which have just integrated ChatGPT with Bing and Edge? Before attending the press conference, doubt was allowed. Google had invited French journalists to its conference dedicated to “artificial intelligence” on January 9, which could suggest that its announcement had been planned for a long time.
After having attended, it now seems clear that Bard was not on the program of the event (which was mainly devoted to Lens, Maps and Arts&Culture). The chatbot seems to have been added at the last moment, only to give substance to those who wonder about Google’s strategy. The drop in Alphabet’s stock (-7%) at the opening of Wall Street confirms our impression: Google has not fooled anyone.
Google wants to save the classic Internet
At a time when Microsoft says it wants to break the Internet with its new Bing, which it thinks is capable of revolutionizing the way the web works, Google wants to be much more cautious. Bard’s very quick demonstrations made on February 9 show a conversational agent integrated into his search engine, but which is content for the moment to synthesize information. “Which car to buy for a family? », “What is the best route to get to such a place? ». Bard accesses website content and offers an informative summary, but seems less creatively oriented than ChatGPT. Google imagines it integrated at the top of search results, so not all the time on the screen, while Microsoft wants to leave its AI on the side permanently.
Most intriguing with Bard is Google’s speech, which sounds far less cheerful than many commentators. When we hear the representatives of Google talk about their generative AI, we have the impression of seeing them presenting a technological brick among many others. There does not seem to be any particular enthusiasm for Bard, while some imagine it to completely revolutionize the Internet. Google’s whole approach is to move forward cautiously, with no release date, supposedly to build a reliable system with as little bias as possible, while respecting several ethical principles. Google’s discourse seems to be opposed to that of Microsoft, which wants to cause a revolution.
How to explain this difference? Satya Nadella, the boss of Microsoft, sums it up well in an interview with The Verge : for him, Microsoft has nothing to lose, while Google risks seeing its economic model collapse. This difference was well felt during a question and answer session between the journalists present in the room and the representatives of Google.
To hear them, Google seems to want to protect the current Internet ecosystem, does not want to leave the monopoly of information to an AI that can say nonsense (they encourage people to continue clicking on sites to multiply the sources of information) and does not intend to launch Bard without discussions with large groups, such as the media, which could suffer from this new competition. Nothing to do with Microsoft, which believes more than ever in a revolution, even if it could kill many sites dependent on the hearing of search engines as soon as it is launched.
The AI revolution is more for tomorrow than for today
For Google, the success of the new Bing could be dangerous. If the world starts to use chatbots like a search engine, then its entire business model, based on ads on its search engine and on sites, could lose value. Google isn’t opposed to advertising in Bard, but says it’s still too early to tell. Since Bard will only arrive in a few “weeks” and its overall operation does not seem to have stopped.
Given the tone used by Google on February 8, everything suggests that the AI revolution will not be immediate (it could have been if Google and Microsoft launched globally at the same time). On their revolutionary road, Microsoft and OpenAI could encounter a major obstacle: Google. The web giant is smart enough to prepare for this transition, just in case, but the best-case scenario for it isn’t when ChatGPT’s model wins.
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