ChatGPT has made a splash around the world. At Google, the entire business model is in question. Now the search engine giant is fighting back - also in Europe.
Mountain View, California - Google will also launch its AI text robot Bard in the EU and Germany. This was announced by CEO Sundar Pichai on Thursday in Mountain View. The day before, Google had presented a list of 180 countries at the I/O developer conference in which ChatGPT competitor Bard would be offered at short notice. Neither Germany nor the other 27 EU member states were on the list. This had triggered fears in the industry that the use of an important AI tool in Europe would not be possible for a longer period of time.
"We will definitely bring Bard to these countries (of the European Union)," Pichai said. Countries such as Germany, France, Italy and Spain are important in the introduction of new Google products. When launching new services, a "combination of several factors" plays a role, the Google boss emphasized. "With a product like Bard, of course, we want to adapt it well to the local conditions and do everything right."
Google CEO Sundar Pichai: AI tool Bard is also being launched in the EU countries. © Kyodo News/Imago
Google AI to meet local standards
The introduction in certain markets is not only about adapting to the respective national languages, but also about regulatory issues. To do this, for example, the machine learning of AI systems must be supplemented with human feedback. "In this way, we want to ensure that we correctly assess local norms and social sentiment." These requirements make the work more time-consuming. "Regulation varies globally in some areas. Therefore, there is more work to be done, and we are determined to make it happen."
With Bard, Google counters the success of the text robot ChatGPT from the start-up OpenAI. Two months ago, Bard was initially unlocked for select users in the US and UK. The language model works like a chatbot and can answer inquiries on a wide variety of topics in polished language.
Microsoft vs. Google: "No race for AI supremacy"
In the press conference, Pichai defended himself against the representation that Google is engaged in a "race" with OpenAI or Microsoft for supremacy in artificial intelligence: "We are only thinking about one race, namely to do it right." Google has committed itself to boldly implementing an innovation. "But we're approaching it with a deep sense of obligation to do it right responsibly, because it's not just about us, it's about many other people." (dpa/row)
