Understanding Generative AI Tools: ChatGPT vs. Bard

The recent hot topic across many industries is the incredible capabilities of generative artificial intelligence (AI) software – specifically ChatGPT. The software is being discussed at all levels, from industry leaders to entry level employees.

Like it or not, AI will be part of our futures, and as marketers, it’s our responsibility to understand new tools and how they impact communications.

If you’ve experimented with ChatGPT, you know it’s capable of mind-blowing things. From doing taxes to writing jokes, ChatGPT has truly not only piqued users’ interests but also their fears – it is a?powerful?tool.

As time goes on, the number of generative AI tools available to the public will continue to increase. Today, Google’s Bard AI is a similar tool that is thought to address some of the most common concerns people have with ChatGPT.

The first step to understanding which tool you may prefer starts with understanding the key differences. The four main ways Bard AI and ChatGPT differ include:

• The time in which they have access to data
• The way the data is collected
• Plagiarism
• Pricing structure

Accuracy & Timeliness of Data

One important thing to remember when using ChatGPT and GPT-4 is it has limited knowledge. This is one of the major differences between Bard and ChatGPT. ChatGPT will only provide answers to your prompts if it pertains to events or data from before Sept. 2021.

On the other hand, Bard will gather information with the most up-to-date data gathered from Google’s search engine. This is important for marketers to know because it will impact the prompts that you input into each software. If you’re inquiring about events that happened recently, ChatGPT may not be the right tool to use.

How Data is Collected

ChatGPT operates off Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (GPT) while Bard operates off LaMDA, which stands for Language Model for Dialogue Applications. What does this mean? LaMDA, an AI technology, combines the power of natural language processing (NLP) with algorithms for the system to respond to users in a more human manner. GPT is an AI technology developed by OpenAI.

To differentiate between the data sources and models they’ve been trained on, think of it like this:?Bard is built for research, whereas ChatGPT serves more as a writing thought starter.

Bard can offer responses based on real-time, current events pulled from Google Search – making for a great research tool. ChatGPT, on the other hand, has a user interface that makes it more friendly for collaboration and generating thought starters for content – with all previous inquiries saved in the app’s side panel. While both have limitations and logic issues,?explore our tips and considerations for using ChatGPT for integrated communications .

Plagiarism

A third major difference is the detection of plagiarism, which has been a cause of major concern with ChatGPT. This is incredibly important due to the wide range of uses for both technologies. There have already been several cases where ChatGPT’s technology has been incorrect.

As of right now Bard does not have a built-in plagiarism detector. On the other hand, ChatGPT does have a built-in plagiarism checker which is called AI Text Classifier. This is an incredibly important detail when using these tools.?An important reminder for marketers: you should never copy and paste the responses you receive from either software. Always remember to review, check for accuracy and leverage the information to develop your own original content.

Pricing Structure

Lastly, is the cost associated with both technologies. Currently ChatGPT has two tiers of cost – a free tier and a paid tier priced at $20/month. Bard, however, Google has already determined Bard will be a free tool. This is an important thing to note because everyone will have access to both tools at no cost. This will open the flood gates to how users will leverage these technologies. For marketers on a budget, having access to both tools at no cost is a great option to begin exploring and experimenting with the world of generative AI.

As of now, OpenAI has just released its latest version – GPT-4 – which has already shown significant growth and plans for expansion and improvement in a short amount of time. This will certainly give OpenAI’s technology a leg up in popularity over Bard, which is still in its infancy.

AI can invoke a lot of different feelings and create many interesting opportunities to experiment among communicators and marketers. But like any new technology, it will have pros as cons, particularly as the technology is rapidly evolving.

The Franco team is committed to staying up to date on all the ins and outs of generative AI. If you have questions or want to learn more about the technology,?reach out to us and let’s chat .