Google offers select Pixel users access to ChatGPT rival 'Bard' — are you on the list?

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With ChatGPT's success threatening Google's information-retrieval reign, the search-engine giant hopped aboard the AI bandwagon and announced "Bard" in early February. 

Google's been testing the ChatGPT rival internally, but now, it's ready to expand testing to another group. The company sent out Bard testing invitations to select Pixel Superfans, a program for Pixel lovers that gives them access to exclusive services, events, and more.

If you're unfamiliar with Bard, it's Google's answer to ChatGPT. It's a conversational AI tool that will be powered by Google's Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA) engine. It will tap into the world wide web to provide better, higher quality responses to your questions.

Who will get to test Bard?

Check your inbox! As mentioned, Google is currently reaching out to its Pixel Superfan community to test Bard. The search-engine giant issued emails to select members of its loyal fanbase. According to 9to5Google, here's what the email said in part:

Meet Bard, an early experiment by Google that lets you collaborate with generative AI. We’d like to offer you – a member of our Pixel Superfan community – early access so you can get started as soon as Bard launches, and share your feedback.

We can’t wait to hear how people start using Bard, but we also know that large language models will not always get it right. Input from a wide range of experts and users will help Bard improve.

So if you're a Pixel Superfan (you can sign up to join the program here), check your email for this invitation. The search-engine giant hasn't opened access yet, but testing will launch in the near future.

We're interested to see how Bard compares to ChatGPT. As 9to5Google reported, Google employees called out Google for unveiling Bard too early, adding that the launch for the ChatGPT rival was "rushed, botched, and myopic." Behind the scenes, Google employees have been training the AI by offering corrections to inaccurate responses. 

Google hasn't said anything about a launch date for Bard, but we're glad that the search-engine giant is testing the AI thoroughly before rolling it out to the general public.

Kimberly Gedeon

Kimberly Gedeon, holding a Master's degree in International Journalism, launched her career as a journalist for MadameNoire's business beat in 2013. She loved translating stuffy stories about the economy, personal finance and investing into digestible, easy-to-understand, entertaining stories for young women of color. During her time on the business beat, she discovered her passion for tech as she dove into articles about tech entrepreneurship, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the latest tablets. After eight years of freelancing, dabbling in a myriad of beats, she's finally found a home at Laptop Mag that accepts her as the crypto-addicted, virtual reality-loving, investing-focused, tech-fascinated nerd she is. Woot!