Google to Release ChatGPT Rival Named Bard

FILE - A sign is shown on a Google building at their campus in Mountain View, Calif., Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
FILE - A sign is shown on a Google building at their campus in Mountain View, Calif., Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
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Google to Release ChatGPT Rival Named Bard

FILE - A sign is shown on a Google building at their campus in Mountain View, Calif., Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
FILE - A sign is shown on a Google building at their campus in Mountain View, Calif., Sept. 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Google said Monday it will release a conversational chatbot named Bard, setting up an artificial intelligence showdown with Microsoft which has invested billions in the creators of ChatGPT, the hugely popular language app that convincingly mimics human writing.

ChatGPT, created by San Francisco company OpenAI, has caused a sensation for its ability to write essays, poems or programming code on demand within seconds, sparking widespread fears of cheating or of entire professions becoming obsolete, AFP said.

Microsoft announced last month that it was backing OpenAI and has begun to integrate ChatGPT features into its Teams platform, with expectations that it will adapt the app to its Office suite and Bing search engine.

The potential inclusion in Bing turned the focus on Google and speculation that the company's world-dominating search engine could face unprecedented competition from an AI-powered rival.

Media reports said the overnight success of ChatGPT was designated a "code red" threat at Google with founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page -- who left several years ago -- brought back to brainstorm ideas and fast-track a response.

The pressure to act was heightened by the poor earnings posted last week by Google-parent Alphabet, which fell short of investor expectations. The company last month announced that it was laying off 12,000 people as it put more emphasis on AI projects.

Google's announcement came on the eve of an AI-related launch event by Microsoft in yet a further sign that the two tech giants will do battle over the technology, also known as generative AI.

"Generative AI is a game changer and much like the rise of the internet sank the networking giants that came before (AOL, CompuServe etc.) it has the potential to change the competitive dynamic for search and information," said independent tech analyst Rob Enderle.

"Google still largely lives off the fact their search engine is the most widely used, this could change that, relegating them to history," he added.

- 'High-quality responses' -
In his blog post on Monday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that Google's Bard conversational AI was to go out for testing with a plan to make it more widely available "in the coming weeks."

Google's Bard is based on LaMDA, the firm's Language Model for Dialogue Applications system, and has been in development for several years.

"Bard seeks to combine the breadth of the world's knowledge with the power, intelligence, and creativity of our large language models," Pichai said.

"It draws on information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality responses," he added, hinting that the app would give up-to-the date responses, something ChatGPT is unable to do.

Before the emergence of ChatGPT, which was released in late November, Google had been reluctant to launch its own language-based AI fearing the reputational risk of releasing technology that wasn't ready.

Researchers using the same language models as Bard or ChatGPT have demonstrated the technology's ability to spew out misinformation or nonsense on a potentially massive scale.

Facebook-owner Meta in November was forced to take down the release of its own large language model called Galactica after three days when users shared its biased and incorrect results on social media within hours of its release.

Pichai insisted that responses churned out by Bard would "meet a high bar for quality, safety and groundedness in real world information."

And much like ChatGPT, Bard would source its responses from a limited version of its base language model in order to reduce computing power and reach a wider audience.

Crucially for its looming duel with Microsoft, Google also said that users would soon see AI-powered features in its search engine.

New-style responses would "distill complex information and multiple perspectives into easy-to-digest formats," Pichai said.

Search engines beefed up by generative AI "will give structured answers to questions and no longer links," Thierry Poibeau, of the CNRS research center in Paris, told AFP.

But bots like ChatGPT "also give wrong answers, which is annoying for a search engine," said Poibeau.



stc Group Net Profit for First Quarter of 2025 Increases 11.05%

CEO of stc Group Eng. Olayan Alwetaid highlighted that the group’s achievements were the result of its unwavering commitment to innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth. Asharq Al-Awsat
CEO of stc Group Eng. Olayan Alwetaid highlighted that the group’s achievements were the result of its unwavering commitment to innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth. Asharq Al-Awsat
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stc Group Net Profit for First Quarter of 2025 Increases 11.05%

CEO of stc Group Eng. Olayan Alwetaid highlighted that the group’s achievements were the result of its unwavering commitment to innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth. Asharq Al-Awsat
CEO of stc Group Eng. Olayan Alwetaid highlighted that the group’s achievements were the result of its unwavering commitment to innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia’s stc announced on Sunday the company’s preliminary financial results for the first quarter ending March 31, reporting revenues of SAR19,210 million, a 1.60% increase year-over-year.

Gross profit rose by 5.01% to SAR9,098 million, operating profit increased by 2.02% to SAR3,584 million, and EBITDA grew by 5.25% to SAR6,120 million. Net profit for the quarter reached SAR3,649 million, representing an 11.05% increase compared to the same period last year.

According to a statement issued by stc, the group distributed SAR0.55 per share for the first quarter of 2025, in accordance with the dividends distribution policy approved by the General Assembly.

Commenting on the results, CEO of stc Group Eng. Olayan Alwetaid highlighted that the group’s achievements were the result of its unwavering commitment to innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth, as well as its relentless pursuit of creating added value for shareholders, customers, and the digital economy as a whole.

He further added that, early in 2025, stc Group achieved several strategic milestones that further solidified its position in the telecommunications and information technology sector. Among these achievements was a new global milestone, as the group successfully localized the software for eSIM technology in collaboration with Thales, making stc the first telecom operator in the world to obtain SAS-UP license certification from the GSMA.

He emphasized that this accomplishment complements stc’s ongoing efforts to support local content in the ICT sector through business localization and the transfer of manufacturing and technical expertise to the Kingdom.
In continuation of the group’s efforts to enhance the digital communication infrastructure in the region, stc signed a strategic agreement with Ooredoo to establish an international ground fiber network corridor between Saudi Arabia and Oman. This strategic partnership aims to enhance the digital communication infrastructure in the region through the project, which starts with the Saudi-Oman corridor. The project will also create an integrated ground fiber network with two backup routes, connecting submarine cable landing stations on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia to their counterparts on the Arabian Sea in Oman, passing through dedicated data centers in both countries. This agreement reaffirms the Group’s commitment to delivering advanced communication solutions, enhancing intercontinental connectivity, and driving digital transformation to support the region’s economic growth.
The statement added that stc Group strengthened its position in cloud computing and artificial intelligence by signing an agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS). This partnership significantly boosts the Group’s ability to deliver advanced technological solutions tailored to the diverse needs of various sectors, while reaffirming its commitment to driving the shift toward an integrated digital economy and leading the future of smart technology in the Kingdom and beyond.
Furthermore, as part of its commitment to providing the highest quality of digital services, stc Group enhanced its telecommunications network in the Two Holy Mosques during the holy month of Ramadan by strengthening its infrastructure to meet the growing demand for services during peak times. This upgrade resulted in a 120% increase in connection speed, enabling the Group to ensure an exceptional communication experience for visitors to the holy sites during the peak visitor periods.