Understanding the Implications of Google Bard’s New Extensions

• Google
• Bard

To revolutionize the information retrieval landscape, Google has recently introduced a series of updates to Bard, its AI chatbot. These updates feature extensions that allow Bard to incorporate more aspects of Google’s portfolio, such as Gmail, Docs, and YouTube. This move marks Google's continued commitment to exploring the potential of artificial intelligence.

While the initial impressions of Bard’s extensions may not be overwhelmingly positive, these updates provide a novel way to deal with the information overload many users experience. With countless unread Gmail messages or a collection of Google Docs from years past, the ability to sift through content using an AI assistant might prove beneficial.

However, the use of such technology raises important questions about privacy. As Google assures, “If you choose to use the Workspace extensions, your content from Gmail, Docs, and Drive is not seen by human reviewers, used by Bard to show you ads, or used to train the Bard model.” This assurance may be enough for some, but it is essential to consider the implications of this statement.

How to Use Extensions for Google Bard

To interact with Bard, users need to have a Google account. Once logged in, it's as simple as visiting the website in your browser. On Bard's main page, you can activate connections to Revolutionizing AI: Major Expansion of Google’s Bard Chatbot, Google Hotels, Google Maps, YouTube, and Google Workspace, which includes Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Drive. Each of these extensions can be activated or deactivated individually.

If you decide to activate the Workspace extension, it's important to tag the areas you want the chatbot to focus on, like @docs, @drive, or @gmail. For example, a prompt could be: “Please check my @gmail and summarize the unread emails from today.”  

Advice for Finding Gmail Messages and Google Docs

Maintaining realistic expectations when interacting with the new Bard extensions is essential. Many AI features released in 2023 were labeled experiments, and Bard’s update is no exception. The chatbot is designed to prioritize the most recent emails in your Gmail, but it might not always get it right. For instance, when asked to name the oldest message in an inbox, the chatbot referred to an email from the previous week.

While the utility of AI can't be denied, it's essential to verify the information obtained from a chatbot. Bard, with extensions, tends to need to understand context or pull out random pieces from emails and documents that might not be relevant. However, if you are trying to locate an email or paper based on a specific topic, Bard is a valuable tool.

The new extension also offers a unique feature - the ability to provide feedback on your writing. When asked to identify any emails that could have been written better, Bard was able to pull up three messages and provide constructive feedback for improvement.

However, the chatbot struggles with nuance. For instance, when asked to identify any “microaggressions” in an inbox, Bard seemed to misunderstand the concept, highlighting a Substack newsletter where “sentimental period drama” was used to describe The Gilded Age television series.

Despite the hype around AI assistants as productivity boosters, Bard still has a long way to go before becoming a reliable assistant. The classic search bar at the top of your inbox might still be the most straightforward and trustworthy way to locate your desired content.