Google initially unveiled its Bard AI tool as a knee-jerk reaction to the popularity of ChatGPT earlier this year, but in the meantime the search giant has continued to improve Bard — whether by adding new features or expanding its reach.
Today is another “New Features” day in Bardland, as Bard Extensions are released. Google says this is “a whole new way to interact and collaborate with Bard.” With extensions, Bard can get relevant information from all the other Google products you probably use every day — things like Gmail, Docs, Drive, Maps, YouTube, and even Google Flights and Hotels.
This process of pulling information works even when it is found across multiple apps and services. For example, use Google to plan a trip with your friends – Bard can get dates that suit everyone from Gmail, look up real-time hotel and flight information, show Google Maps directions to the airport, and show YouTube videos of things to do. You have to do it as soon as you get to where you are going. All of this can happen during one conversation with a cool person.
Another example Google gives is applying for a new job, using the AI tool to find your resume from Drive, summarizing it into a short-paragraph personal statement, and then continuing the collaboration on your cover letter.
If there are privacy concerns, Google notes that your content from Gmail, Docs, and Drive accessed by Bard is not seen by human reviewers, used by Bard itself to show you ads, or used to train a Bard model.
Starting today, Bard also has a “Google it” button, allowing you to check his answers more easily. When you click the G icon, Bard will read the response and evaluate whether there is web content to prove it. When a phrase can be evaluated, you can click on the highlighted phrases and learn more about the supporting or conflicting information that Google Search finds.
Also starting today, when someone shares a Bard chat with you through a public link, you can follow up the conversation with additional questions about that topic, or use it as a starting point for something else.
Finally, features like uploading photos using Lens, searching for images in replies, and editing Bard replies, previously limited to English only, are now available in more than 40 languages.
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