Alphabet-owned Google on Tuesday opened limited public access to its generative artificial intelligence platform Bard, which aims to rival Microsoft-backed ChatGPT.
Launched last month, the new conversational AI service focuses on creating innovative ways to engage with information, from language and images to videos and audio.
Bard will initially be available to select consumers in the US and the UK. Users can join the waitlist here.
Google said it would be expanding Bard “over time to more countries and languages” but did not specify a timeline.
“You can use Bard to boost your productivity, accelerate your ideas and fuel your curiosity,” said Google's Sissie Hsiao, vice president of product, and Eli Collins, vice president of research, in a blog post on Tuesday.
Bard comes with various generative AI capabilities. For example, users can ask Bard to give them tips to reach their goal of reading more books this year, explain quantum physics in simple terms, write a customised job description, draft an invitation for a Halloween-themed birthday party or quickly write an outline for a blog post.
“We have learnt a lot so far by testing Bard, and the next critical step in improving it is to get feedback from more people … we will learn alongside you as we go. With your feedback, Bard will keep getting better and better,” Ms Hsiao and Mr Collins said.
When using Bard, users will “get the choice of a few different drafts of its response so you can pick the best starting point for you”.
“You can continue to collaborate with Bard from there, asking follow-up questions. And if you want to see an alternative, you can always have Bard try again,” Ms Hsiao and Mr Collins added.
California-based Google said it would continue improving Bard and adding more abilities to it. Some of the new capabilities will include coding, a great number of languages and multi-modal experiences.
Bard is powered by Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA) technology that was launched by the company nearly two years ago. AI-led LaMDA comes with next-generation language and conversation ability.
Generative AI uses machine learning to produce content such as text, images, video and audio. It can generate novel content, in the right context, instead of merely analysing or acting on the existing data.
Recent new breakthroughs in the field could drastically change the way we approach content creation, according to a recent report from McKinsey & Company.
The global generative AI market is expected to reach $188.62 billion by 2032, growing at an annual rate of more than 36 per cent from $8.65 billion last year, a report by Brainy Insights showed. The North American region dominated the market in 2022.
Google said it is building Bard responsibly while keeping the human factor in the spotlight.
“Our work on Bard is guided by our AI principles, and we continue to focus on quality and safety,” Ms Hsiao and Mr Collins said.
“We are using human feedback and evaluation to improve our systems, and we have also built in guardrails, like capping the number of exchanges in a dialogue, to try to keep interactions helpful and on topic.”
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Most wanted allegations
- Benjamin Macann, 32: involvement in cocaine smuggling gang.
- Jack Mayle, 30: sold drugs from a phone line called the Flavour Quest.
- Callum Halpin, 27: over the 2018 murder of a rival drug dealer.
- Asim Naveed, 29: accused of being the leader of a gang that imported cocaine.
- Calvin Parris, 32: accused of buying cocaine from Naveed and selling it on.
- John James Jones, 31: allegedly stabbed two people causing serious injuries.
- Callum Michael Allan, 23: alleged drug dealing and assaulting an emergency worker.
- Dean Garforth, 29: part of a crime gang that sold drugs and guns.
- Joshua Dillon Hendry, 30: accused of trafficking heroin and crack cocain.
- Mark Francis Roberts, 28: grievous bodily harm after a bungled attempt to steal a £60,000 watch.
- James ‘Jamie’ Stevenson, 56: for arson and over the seizure of a tonne of cocaine.
- Nana Oppong, 41: shot a man eight times in a suspected gangland reprisal attack.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%209
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