Google has announced the expansion of Bard, its conversational AI service, to 40 new languages including Swahili- the first African language to be included and 59 new countries and territories. The expansion includes new features that allow users to better customize their experience, boost their creativity, and get more done.
With the expansion, Bard is now available in most of the world, including countries, and in the most widely spoken languages, including Swahili, Chinese, German, Spanish, Arabic, and Hindi. Users can now access Bard in their preferred language with text-to-speech also enabled in 8 languages.
“We’re excited that this is Bard’s largest expansion to date – we see its global availability as a great democratizer of knowledge,” said Dorothy Ooko, Head of Communications and Public Affairs, SSA, Google. “That’s why we created Bard: to help you explore that curiosity, augment your imagination and ultimately get your ideas off the ground — not just by answering your questions, but by helping you build on them.”
READ: Google I/O 2023: Checkout the 15 coolest announcements
As part of the expansion, new updates have been introduced to make the Bard experience more interactive and user-friendly. The ‘Listen to Responses’ feature now provides an auditory dimension to Bard’s responses, making it particularly useful for gaining accurate pronunciation or understanding a script, with just a simple click on the sound icon.
Users can also now adjust Bard’s responses by changing the tone and style of its responses to five different options: simple, long, short, professional or casual, offering a tailored interaction to match individual needs. While this feature has been initially launched in English, plans are underway to extend it to other languages, broadening its accessibility to users around the globe.
READ: 23 African countries now covered as Google expands flood alerts to 80 countries
Four additional features were also introduced to help users get more done. Users can now pin and rename their conversations with Bard, making it easier to revisit conversations that contain important information or ideas later. Through the export code to more places feature, users can now export Python code to Replit, in addition to Google Colab, making it easier for users to share their code with others or use it in other projects. Users will also be able to share responses with friends using shareable links, making it easier to collaborate on projects or get feedback on ideas. Also launched is the feature allowing users to upload images with prompts to Bard.
READ: Google supports access to emergency maternal care in Nigeria
Bard seeks to combine the breadth of the world’s knowledge with the power, intelligence and creativity of Google’s large language models. It draws on information from the web to provide responses. As an experimental technology, Bard may occasionally make inaccurate statements in response to user prompts. So if a response from Bard is inaccurate or unsafe, if one experiences an issue, or just wants to provide feedback, there’s an easy way to do that.
DON’T MISS: See the 25 African Startups unveiled as recipients of $4M Google for Startups Black Founders Fund
