Google's AI chatbot Bard, which launched in May 2023, now has extensions for Gmail, Docs, and Drive. This will allow users to access Bard's capabilities directly within these apps. The integration, termed by Google as “extensions,” aims to save users the time and effort of manually sifting through vast amounts of emails or documents.
Enhanced Integration with Google Services
With the new extensions, users can prompt Bard to summarize email contents or highlight crucial points from a Drive document. The potential applications of these integrations are vast, ranging from creating charts to generating bulleted summaries. Notably, this feature is currently available only in English.
However, the extensions aren't just limited to Gmail, Docs, and Drive. Google has also integrated Bard with Maps, YouTube, and Google Flights. This means users can ask Bard for real-time flight information, locate nearby attractions, or even pull up YouTube videos on specific topics. These three extensions will be enabled by default.
Jack Krawczyk, the product lead of Bard, emphasized the significance of this integration. He stated, “It's the first time a language model product is truly integrating with your personal data.” Google aims to ensure that this integration is done right, with plans to expand Bard's integrations to more Google products and even external partners.
Privacy Concerns Addressed
Given the sensitive nature of personal emails and documents, integrating Bard with these services naturally raises privacy concerns. However, Google has assured users that the data accessed by Bard will not be used to train its public model. Furthermore, no human reviewers will view this information. Users have the choice to opt into these integrations, and they can be disabled at any time.
Additional Bard Features
Apart from the integrations, Google has introduced other notable improvements to Bard. One such feature is the “Google It” button, which allows users to verify Bard's answers. When pressed, this button will highlight information verified by Google Search in green, while any unvalidated answers will be highlighted in orange. This feature provides users with a way to cross-check the accuracy of Bard's responses.
Since its introduction in February, Bard has seen a series of feature additions. These include the ability to generate and debug code, create functions for Google Sheets, and even support for Google Lens, enabling users to brainstorm caption ideas for photos or gather more information about them.
