In a new update, Google has added the ability for Bard to bring in images from search. This means that you can now ask Bard to show you images of a particular topic, and it will return a selection of relevant images from Google Search.
To use this feature, simply type in your request to Bard, and then add the phrase “show me images of”. For example, you could type in “show me images of dogs” or “show me images of the Eiffel Tower”. Bard will then return a selection of relevant images from Google Search. Microsoft’s Bing Chat can already surface images, as well as offering the Bing Image Creator tool.
This new feature is a great way to get visual inspiration for your projects. For example, if you are writing a blog post about dogs, you could use Bard to bring in images of different types of dogs. Or, if you are planning a trip to Paris, you could use Bard to bring in images of the Eiffel Tower and other landmarks.
Here are some examples of how you can use Google Bard to bring in images from search:
- Get inspiration for your projects: If you are working on a creative project, you can use Bard to bring in images of different topics to help you get started. For example, if you are writing a poem about nature, you could use Bard to bring in images of flowers, trees, and animals.
- Learn about new things: If you are interested in learning about a new topic, you can use Bard to bring in images of different things related to that topic. For example, if you are interested in learning about the history of the United States, you could use Bard to bring in images of historical figures, events, and places.
- Plan your trips: If you are planning a trip, you can use Bard to bring in images of different places you might want to visit. For example, if you are planning a trip to Europe, you could use Bard to bring in images of different cities, landmarks, and attractions.
Google Has Been Quietly Improving Bard
While Microsoft’s Bing Chat and OpenAI’s ChatGPT grab the headlines, Google has been improving Bard to compete with the popular chatbots. Certainly, the early days of Bard in February when it embarrassed Google are gone and it now feels like a more useful tool.
Google Bard has improved its AI language model to generate better summaries and more helpful source information. The new update helps you to grasp the main idea of a topic quickly and to locate the information you want.
A major improvement is that Google Bard now adds numbers next to its responses to indicate which parts are from the source links at the bottom. This makes it much easier to track where Bard’s information is coming from and to check its reliability. It should be noted that Microsoft’s Bing Chat already offers this level of source attribution, with reference numbers at the end of sourced links. However, Bard is not a direct rival with Microsoft’s search AI in the strictest sense.
Specifically, Google’s AI is an interface to its large language model (LLM) and not a search AI chatbot. Bard is a new AI experiment from Google that can have natural and creative conversations with users. It is now in limited preview for users in the U.S. and the U.K., and has also been rolled out globally to more users.
But the EU won’t get to try Bard anytime soon. As I wrote last week, Bard is not available in the EU because of possible GDPR issues. The GDPR is a law that safeguards the privacy and personal data of EU citizens.
