AI is rapidly changing the way we interact with technology, and the latest developments from some of the world's biggest tech giants are proving this. In the past week, Microsoft, Google, Alibaba, and Baidu have all announced their plans to launch AI-powered chatbots, setting the stage for a new era of conversational computing. In this blog post, we'll be exploring these recent AI advancements and what they mean for the future of AI.
1. Microsoft’s Bing
Microsoft has revealed its new version of Bing search engine and Edge browser that incorporates technology from OpenAI. The new Bing runs on a more advanced OpenAI language model and can be used in chat mode, allowing users to find answers on the web and compose emails with the AI-based bot. The Edge browser also has Bing for chat and writing text and can summarize web pages and respond conversationally to queries. All the information you get from the searches comes with citations, which means you will be able to see the source of the information given to you.
The preview of the new Bing is available for the public right now, so you can try it out for yourself. Of course, the queries are limited. If you want to get full access to the tool, you can sign up for a waiting list.
2. Google’s Bard
Google has introduced a new conversational AI tool called "Bard" in a move to challenge the popularity of OpenAI's ChatGPT. In a recent blog post, CEO of Google and Alphabet, Sundar Pichai, announced that Bard will be made available to selected testers starting Monday with plans to roll it out to the general public in the near future. Like ChatGPT, Bard utilizes a language model that has been trained on large amounts of data to generate answers to user inquiries.
This widespread attention on ChatGPT has reportedly led to a state of emergency being declared for Google's search division.
However, Bard encountered a setback this week during a public demonstration when it produced an incorrect response. This has caused a decline in Alphabet's shares, with a drop of nearly 8% being recorded on Wednesday.
The tool, which was shown off in a demo on Twitter, aimed to generate interesting responses to user prompts, much like other large language models such as OpenAI's ChatGPT. However, during the demonstration, Bard suffered a setback when it produced an incorrect response to a user's question. The user asked about the latest discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope and Bard listed one of its achievements as "taking the first pictures of a planet outside of our solar system." But according to NASA, this distinction actually belongs to the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, which captured an image of an exoplanet in 2004.
3. Alibaba’s (Yet) Mysterious Language Model Tool
Alibaba is taking the leap into the world of chatbots with the development of its very own language model tool. In the era of rapid technological advancements, the Chinese tech giant is aiming to keep up with the competition and offer innovative solutions to its customers.
The company has confirmed that it is internally testing an AI-powered chatbot and is yet to reveal any details about the launch date or the name of the application. A representative from Alibaba's research arm, DAMO, which stands for Discovery, Adventure, Momentum and Outlook, shared that large language models and generative AI have been a focus area since its inception in 2017.
As a technology leader, Alibaba has a strong commitment to investing in groundbreaking innovations and turning them into valuable applications for its customers and their end-users. This latest venture into the world of chatbots reflects the company's ongoing dedication to driving progress in the field of AI and data computing.
It's worth noting that language models, which are trained on vast data collections online to produce engaging responses to user prompts, have the potential to spread inaccurate information. Nevertheless, this hasn't deterred Alibaba from pursuing its mission to stay ahead of the curve. The company's Hong Kong-listed shares even saw a 1.4% increase on Thursday morning, following the announcement of its chatbot tool.
4. Baidu’s ERNIE
On Tuesday, Baidu announced that it would be launching its own AI-powered chatbot, called "Wenxin Yiyan" in Chinese or "ERNIE Bot" in English.
According to a spokesperson, the new chatbot will launch in March and is currently being tested internally. ERNIE, which stands for "Enhanced Representation through Knowledge Integration," is based on a language model that Baidu first developed back in 2019. Since then, the ERNIE project has continued to evolve, becoming more sophisticated and multi-faceted with each iteration.
Today, the ERNIE project is capable of writing poems, papers, and even generating images through text prompts. Baidu's researchers are working tirelessly to upgrade the technology even further, allowing ERNIE to learn multiple tasks in much the same way that humans do. While the company has yet to provide many details on the specifics of the tool, it is sure to be an exciting addition to Baidu's offerings.
Shares in Baidu soared following the news, jumping by a staggering 16%. The race is on in the tech industry to develop the best AI-powered chatbot, and with its latest announcement, Baidu has thrown its hat firmly into the ring. It will be fascinating to see how the new chatbot measures up against existing players like ChatGPT and other competitors that are sure to emerge in the months and years to come.
5. SAAS First’s AI-Powered Customer Support
Another breakthrough has been published this week, which will be definitely of interest to SaaS companies with customer support.
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+1 Additional fun AI news of the week:
FRIDA, the artistic robot arm, is revolutionizing the way we think about collaboration between humans and machines. With its paintbrush attached, FRIDA uses cutting-edge AI to create beautiful works of art, right before our eyes. Imagine asking FRIDA to paint a picture and watching in awe as the robot goes to work, bringing your vision to life.
As FRIDA works, it uses machine learning to evaluate its progress and ensure that each brushstroke is just right.
The results are truly unique and captivating. FRIDA's paintings have an impressionistic style, with bold and whimsical brushstrokes that bring a touch of magic to each work. And if FRIDA makes a mistake, it doesn't stop there. Instead, it incorporates the error into the painting, creating something even more imaginative and creative.
