Google’s parent company Alphabet is rolling out its artificial intelligence (AI) tool Bard to Europe and Brazil in the largest expansion since the product launched in February.

The company has also added new features to the large language model which are available worldwide. Users can communicate with Bard in over 40 languages including German, Hindi and Arabic.

Users can also change the tone and style of Bard’s responses to either simple, long, short, professional or casual. Conversations can be pinned or renamed and users can export code to more places and use images in prompts.

Bard is seen as a rival to ChatGPT, a similar AI product owned by OpenAI and Microsoft.

Jack Krawczyk, Google senior product director, said in a blog post that Bard’s launch had been held up by privacy regulators, with Google since meeting with them to discuss issues around transparency and choice.

Several regulators have recently questioned OpenAI about its use of data, with the Japanese privacy watchdog issuing the company with a privacy warning earlier this month and the Italian regulator for data protection temporarily banning ChatGPT.

“As part of our bold and responsible approach to AI, we’ve proactively engaged with experts, policymakers and privacy regulators on this expansion. And as we bring Bard to more regions and languages over time, we’ll continue to use our AI Principles as a guide, incorporate user feedback, and take steps to protect people’s privacy and data,” Krawczyk said.

Google recently released a report claiming that generative AI could save the average worker around 100 hours per year and boost the UK’s economy by £400 billion by the year 2030.

Share Story: