Google’s Latest AI Updates: From Bard to Magic Compose and Generative AI for Trusted Testers, and many features are coming out to Google Products and services that use artificial intelligence (AI) to generate suggested responses. Google Bard adopts elements of fun and creativity to the feature, allowing users to respond to messages in unique and entertaining ways. Google Bard officially launched in March, but now it’s starting to roll out, although it’s currently limited to certain regions.
This will significantly allow users access to Bard with different Google Products and services. Google recommends users use clear and concise prompts to get the best results. This saves time and improves productivity by helping users write more efficiently.
Google Bard on Workplace accounts
Google is starting to release Google Bard to Google Workspace accounts; previously, it was only available to Personal Google accounts. This means Google AI will be available in its suite of productivity tools designed for businesses and organizations, including Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Meet. IT admins can enable Bard for their domain, enabling Google Workspace users to access it.
This will give users additional tools to help with their work, research, or other business needs while signing into their administrator-enabled Google Workspace account. Bard can assist in more complex and serious business tasks, encouraging users to do more challenging work. However, if we compare it with Microsoft’s Bing Chatbot, Google has been slower when adding new features to Bard, and the company has also recently added the ability to write code in 20 different programming languages.
Users still need to join the waitlist before they can start using the tool, and Workspace admins will need to enable it for their domain. This will allow users to create content for work, research, or other business needs while signing into their Google Workspace account. This means settings for managed accounts will roll out in the coming days. Additionally, it will improve cloud computing, productivity, and collaboration tools. It was initially restricted to Workspace users’ access, but now those users can benefit from incorporating AI-generated content.
Google Bard to Gmail and Docs for Trusted Testers via Lab
After public testing, the Generative AI feature in Gmail and Docs, as we discussed, is coming to Workspace. The company continues to expand its Trusted Tester Program within a Lab in Google Workspace. Despite only being available for selected users in US English, Trusted Testers are a group of people who test some of the features before public release.
Google introduced the Help Me Write feature, available on the mobile and web versions of Gmail and Docs. You will find a floating button (FAB) on the bottom toolbar. Opening the purple-hued text field will open a prompt that lets you write. Start with at least six words to get the best results, and consider including the topic and tone in the way you want to convey your prompt to get the best results.
It also has a “Recreate” feature which allows you to generate a new version of text based on the same prompt. It also has “Refine,” “Formalize,” “Elaborate,” “Shorten,” and “I’m Feeling Lucky” options to add more creative details to your text. In Google Docs, you can use the “Help me write” button to write your prompt in the text area. Google will phrase the prompt as an interaction, such as replying to a customer complaint. Google also offers “Summarize” capabilities, which allow you to create a summary of selected text. A “Help me Write (Labs)” option is also on the left. After output, you can rate the quality of the suggestion provided, including “Not Helpful,” “Offensive,” or other options to improve the quality of generative AI suggestions in the future.
Google Bard on Google Message
The company’s messaging app has been updated with the Magic Compose feature, which uses generative artificial intelligence (AI) to provide users with suggested responses to messages they receive. It’s called Magic Compose on Google Messages, which analyzes the context of the message and generates a response accordingly. This means your messaging app can now suggest text-based replies, and AI can also generate song lyrics based on the context of the message. This will be made official with more polished features and optimization at the Google I/O conference.
Magic Compose focuses on making it easier and more convenient for users to respond to messages, and it’s a fun and creative way to express themselves through song lyrics. This similar feature is available in Google Docs and Gmail, which suggests responses to emails and documents named “Help me write.” This will help suit the professional and work-oriented nature of these products. One of the features is called “Lyrical,” which will help generate a poem in response to the message. It can be playful, and the generated text can be Seussian, with playful and nonsensical qualities similar to the works of Dr. Seuss, a famous children’s author known for his creative use of language and whimsical storytelling.
Unlike Smart Reply, Magic Compose provides one-click responses to a message and offers more personalized and in-depth suggestions. It pays much attention to the details of the conversation, and users need an initial reply in mind. Google’s Magic Compose will appear alongside Smart Reply and Nudges. The Magic Compose feature is labeled as an experiment and a reminder that it is still developing.
It does require an active internet connection, unlike other Google Message features that run locally on the user’s device. This feature will initially be rolled out via the Google Play Store, but the timeline for the Google Message release is unpredictable.
The company may release more information on Bard’s plans next week during the Google I/O Dev conference on May 10. We expect to hear more about Google Bard alongside new features and products and how it will be integrated into various platforms. Google is emphasizing the consumer-focused nature of the app and highlighting its more casual and fun vibe. This helps distinguish between the different use cases and audiences for each app in the Google ecosystem.
