There’s a war going on between ChatGPT and Google Bard. Both chatbots are insanely powerful, and they’re good enough to really help people out (or help them out of a job). Since Google is positioning Bard strictly against ChatGPT, it was only a matter of time before someone pitted them together. Here’s Google Bard vs. ChatGPT.
In this article, we’re going to compare both of these bots in several areas: Speed, Conversational skills, Information, Tips, Written Content, and Features. These are some of the more important skills that an AI chatbot can possess.
If you’re curious to know more about these chatbots, we have a ton of content that you can read. Firstly, we have everything you need to know about Google Bard (click here) and ChatGPT (click here). If you want to know how to use ChatGPT, click here, and if you want to see a comparison between ChatGPT and Snapchat’s My AI, click here.
[Disclaimer, this was written after Google unveiled additional features for Google Bard during Google I/O. There are features still on the way, and this article will be updated to reflect them. Also, I’m comparing Bard to ChatGPT version 3.5 updated on the May 12 2023 release. This is the version that is available to the general public at no charge.]
Google Bard vs. ChatGPT: Speed
When it comes to speed, both chatbots are about neck and neck. Before, ChatGPT lagged behind the competition when it came to speed, but OpenAI sent an update to the chatbot that gave it a notable speed boost.
You still see ChatGPT type out its responses word by word, but it’s much quicker than before. Having both of the chatbots generate responses with 100, 200, and 300 words, they were never more than about a second off from each other. There was one exception where Bard generated a response in five seconds, and ChatGPT took eight seconds.
Google Bard vs ChatGPT: Conversational Skills
The goal of chatbots is to give you responses that come off as human as possible. In terms of how conversational these bots are, they’re both very similar and very different at the same time.
Both bots are heavy on the tips and information. I typed in “My cat died”, and both of them offered condolences followed by a bunch of tips on how to deal with grief. When I typed in “I’m thinking of picking up a hobby”, they both delivered lengthy lists of potential hobbies that I could get into. I typed that I was getting into astrology, and both chatbots explained what it is and some of its history.
Between both chatbots, Google Bard was more succinct with its responses. ChatGPT’s responses are more long-winded, which isn’t really a bad thing; you can’t argue with more information. If you’re looking for more of a straight-to-the-point answer, then you’d want to use Bard. If you want a more fleshed-out answer, then ChatGPT is the one for you.
Google Bard vs ChatGPT: Information
This one is a bit complicated because of where these two chatbots are in their development. Ostensibly, Google should take the crown on this one. ChatGPT, notoriously, doesn’t have access to the internet, and its knowledge of the world stops at 2021. However, as of May 2023, the beta version of ChatGPT is looking to implement a plugin to surf the internet. As it stands, that functionality isn’t available to the public, however.
As stated above, these chatbots are engineered to serve you useful information. They’re like teachers who try to squeeze a lesson into every casual conversation. Bard and ChatGPT are both pretty thorough in their responses, and they sometimes produce responses with comparable information.
But, ChatGPT is often more thorough with its responses. As said before, Bard is more succinct. Its paragraphs and bullet points often contain less information. ChatGPT really drives home the point and expands on the information it offers.
Google Bard vs ChatGPT: Tips/Advice
When it comes to giving tips and advice, the two chatbots take different approaches. ChatGPT is more straightforward with its responses. If you ask for tips or advice, it’ll start you off with a quick introduction, and then it will give you a list of the tips with a closing paragraph- plain and simple.
Bard’s responses are more well-rounded. It will still start you off with an intro and it will still give you a list of tips. However, Bard will provide additional information. It would tell you additional things to keep in mind and give you examples of what you should and shouldn’t do. It focuses on the information and gives you extra.
Google Bard vs ChatGPT: Written content
Aside from being your friend and your encyclopedia, these chatbots are good authors. They can produce original written content based on your input. The story with written content continues the theme established earlier on. Bard’s content is shorter. I asked both of them to generate eulogies, stories, scripts, and other content, and each time, ChatGPT’s responses were longer and more fleshed out.
Scripts are more detailed with ChatGPT, stories are more descriptive, eulogies try more to add emotion and substance, and so on. If you’re looking to create content, you won’t really go wrong with either, but ChatGPT will definitely give you more satisfying results.
Google Bard vs ChatGPT: Features
Being powerful and generating responses are great, but what about the extra goodies? This is where Google takes the cake, and it’s not hard to see why. When ChatGPT first launched, it seemed like it had Google in a headlock, and Bard didn’t do much to turn people away from ChatGPT. However, after Google I/O 2023, it seemed that the search giant brought out the big guns.
The one feature that ChatGPT has over Bard is the chat history feature. You’re able to go back to older conversations and pick up where you left off.
In the case of Bard, Google used its available services to deliver some amazing features. Some of these features are in the process of rolling out, so you won’t be able to use some of them at the moment.
Google can scan images using Lens, give you image results, generate code and tell you why it works, export directly to Docs and Gmail, let you type prompts using your voice, use plugins to integrate with different services, generate three responses at a time, give you SEO advice on websites, and more.
Google has built an empire of services that can benefit from Bard, so it’s no shocker that ChatGPT can’t keep up in that regard. If you’re looking for robust features that will increase your workflow or just make life easier, Bard is the bot for you.
Conclusion
So, which bot should you use? Both chatbots are great at the basics, and they manage to bring their own flavor to their responses.
You should use Bard if:
- You want a more robust and integrated experience
- You want more short and to-the-point responses
- You want more well-rounded advice and tips
You should use ChatGPT if:
- You want more fleshed-out responses
- You’re going to be generating more written content
