Google Bard Integrates with Gmail and More; Still Not in Canada

Google has announced its Bard AI chatbot now has integration with Google apps and services. The update aims to provide more tailored responses and facilitate multi-app tasks. Bard is the rival to OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT.

Bard has also introduced a “Google it” feature that allows users to verify the AI’s responses. The update expands Bard’s capabilities to over 40 languages.

The update introduces Bard Extensions in English, enabling the platform to pull information from Google tools such as Gmail, Docs, Drive, Google Maps, YouTube, and Google Flights. For instance, users planning a trip can now ask Bard to gather dates from Gmail, check real-time flight and hotel information, and even suggest activities based on YouTube videos, all within a single conversation.

The “Google it” feature allows users to double-check Bard’s responses. Clicking on the “G” icon will prompt Bard to evaluate its answer against web content, offering users additional information to double-check that the AI responses are indeed accurate.

Bard assures that personal information from Gmail, Docs, and Drive will not be used for ad targeting or seen by human reviewers. Users have full control over their privacy settings and can disable the extensions at any time.

The update also enables users to build upon existing conversations with Bard. If a Bard chat is shared through a public link, the recipient can continue the conversation or use it as a starting point for their own queries.

Bard has expanded its existing English language features to more than 40 languages, including the ability to upload images and modify responses.

The update is powered by Bard’s most advanced model yet, PaLM 2, trained using state-of-the-art reinforcement learning techniques. This allows Bard to offer more intuitive and accurate responses.

Bard is still not available in Canada, as we join China, Russia and North Korea as other countries without access. You can access Bard in Canada though, by using a VPN and changing your location to the U.S.