Google Bard Answers It Has Been Discontinued: Is The Generative AI Chatbot Shutting Down?

Google launched Bard, a rival to the OpenAI ChatGPT, as a public preview this week. In a strange twist, the Generative AI chatbot informed a user that it had been shut down.

Bard caused quite a stir today when it incorrectly informed a few early adopters of the AI chatbot that Google had shuttered the project. The chatbot may have offered such clearly erroneous information due to the limitations of the AI and the large language models it relies on.

Google Bard Answers It Is Shutting Down To A Query Asking About Its Fate

Google launched Bard as a public preview yesterday. The chatbot will compete with the new Microsoft Bing search that's powered by OpenAI's ChatGPT.

When a Twitter user asked Bard "how long will it take before google bard will be shut down?" The chatbot responded by saying:

"Google Bard is already shut down. It was shut down on March 21, 2023, less than six months after its launch.

Google cited the lack of adoption as the reason for the shutdown and expressed their commitment to continuing to explore ways to use AI to enhance creative expression."

and here's the Bing chatbot telling everyone Google Bard has already been shut down. It references a news report about Google Bard incorrectly saying it was being shutdown. We now have AI helping feed other AI bullshit 🥴 pic.twitter.com/hEiq2bPvyP

— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) March 22, 2023

When questioned about the reasons behind abruptly shuttering the service, Bard was ready with a list.

i asked bard for more reasons why google decided to shut it down pic.twitter.com/2FvF7Az6oe

— juan (@juanbuis) March 21, 2023

It turns out, Bard relied on a joke made in a comment section of Hacker News and considered it a source. Needless to say, the information is factually incorrect. However, Bard clearly failed to see the attempted humor. It even failed to judge if the information was true or accurate.

Google Bard And OpenAI ChatGPT May Offer Incorrect Information

Google's Bard uses a lightweight optimized version of Google's LaMDA. Google has repeatedly stressed that Bard is a productivity tool intended to spark creativity and help inquisitive minds. However, Bard must not be considered as a replacement for Google search, cautioned the Alphabet-owned company.

Google and Microsoft have been upfront about the limitations of their Generative AI platforms. Google has openly cautioned that Bard may include factual errors. The company has noted that's because of the nature and limitations of the AI powering the chatbot.

As these AI platforms source information from the web, they are bound to run into factually incorrect information. However, Microsoft and Google have been continually refining and improving the way these platforms obtain information.

Still, such issues may occasionally appear. Simply put, users must never consider the answers given by these platforms as 100 percent accurate. Users must conduct their own research to cross-verify the information.

Both platforms rely on Large Language Models (LLMs). While they are vast, their knowledge will continually improve as more people use them. These Generative AI chatbots will also need routine real-world testing and continuous backend refinements.