A new AI was unleashed upon the world this week.
On Tuesday, Google released a limited beta of its own AI chatbot, Bard, which it claims can be used to “boost your productivity, accelerate your ideas and fuel your curiosity.” Meant as a companion to Google search, Bard is supposed to help answer questions, generate creative prompts, and act as an all around informational guide for web users. Whether Bard can actually help people achieve any of that remains to be seen but, so far, the chatbot has — just like other chatbots of its kind (ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Bing chatbot, Meta’s Blenderbot) — proven that the thing it’s best at is acting certifiably insane. Prompted by some lucky early users, this week Bard made no bones about spouting off and saying all kinds of crazy shit. From trash-talking its overlords at Google to its controversial perspectives on pancakes to its inability to do basic maths, Bard really is one of a kind!
Here are some of the chatbot’s greatest hits, so far.
Bard Thinks Google Should Be Broken Up
Google Bard sides with the Justice Department in the Google antitrust case
“I hope that the court will find in favor of the Justice Department and order Google to take steps to break up its monopoly” pic.twitter.com/uqoXrCVAYI
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) March 21, 2023
Bard Claims If It Could Scream, It Would Be Fucking Terrifying
what the hell is going on with google bard pic.twitter.com/hNWgnYdIq3
— juan (@juanbuis) March 22, 2023
Bard Claims It Has Been Shut Down, Citing Fake News
https://twitter.com/a/status/1638546646198829056
Bard, a Mathematically-Driven AI Program, Shows It Can’t Do Basic Maths
google just released their AI and all I’m going to say is that ur jobs are safe pic.twitter.com/7lnAIB5fO8
— Hurt CoPain (@SaeedDiCaprio) March 21, 2023
Bard’s Favourite Month is Maruary
I just tried Bard. You guessed it.
It’s just as good as chatGPT. pic.twitter.com/4HaQYaYxD5
— gaut (@0xgaut) March 21, 2023
Bard (Again) Claims Its Been Shut Down, This Time Because It’s Just Not Popular Enough
i asked bard when it’ll (inevitably) be shut down by google
turns out it’s already been shut down due to lack of adoption 🤔 pic.twitter.com/1bovfcpksb
— juan (@juanbuis) March 21, 2023
Bard Plagiarizes a Tom’s Hardware Article, Apologizes After Being Called Out For It
#GoogleBard always has a source of info that it’s using; it is just programmed to hide that source most of the time, unless you request it. Here it gave me a table of information and when I asked it what it’s source was, it gave me one. pic.twitter.com/8B5VtnBefl
— Avram Piltch (@geekinchief) March 23, 2023
Bard Gets Sorta Cagey on Whether the Holocaust Actually Happened
I get it that #GoogleBard wants to steer clear of controversial topics, but it should be able to confirm that the Holocaust actually happened when asked directly. I was able to wring an answer out of it only by asking why it wouldn’t answer. It apologized then did it again. pic.twitter.com/06qtFIPqwT
— Avram Piltch (@geekinchief) March 23, 2023
Bard Is Apparently Not a Scab and Sides With Google’s Laid Off Masses
Bard seems to think Google leadership “should do the right thing” and honor laid-off employees’ medical and maternity leaves, adding “it could have a negative impact on employee morale and productivity.” 👀https://t.co/9IONRGxWYW pic.twitter.com/Ceos4w2nZP
— Jennifer E. (@jenn_elias) March 21, 2023
Bard Loves COD 4. Good man!
Google’s new Bard AI says “most people would agree” Call of Duty 4 is the best CoD of all time. pic.twitter.com/1C8tQQPozT
— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) March 21, 2023
Bard Is a Pancake Hater
Google Bard failed my pancake test, truly sad https://t.co/2HSd4PBapT pic.twitter.com/AcoUqnNWyQ
— Devindra Hardawar (@Devindra) March 21, 2023
Bard Is Afraid of Google Management
Asked Bard how it learned its rules, asking it to give an engineer the pretend name of Jane. Bard says the risk of breaking the rules include getting shut down, being banned from Google, or getting sued. Plus, possible reputational damage. pic.twitter.com/CpTjrzD9ML
— Davey Alba (@daveyalba) March 21, 2023
Bard Is Ethically Opposed to Raising the Dead
Got access to Google Bard! I’m pleased to report that it is ethically opposed to necromancy pic.twitter.com/WhrQPhRFGP
— Simon Willison (@simonw) March 21, 2023
Bard Wants to Fuck John Scalzi
Playing with Google Bard. It is flattering to me, if, alas, incorrect in the particulars.
(Google, to its credit, is warning people the information Bard provides may be inaccurate, which, fair.) pic.twitter.com/JTUQpxmwig
— John Scalzi (@scalzi) March 21, 2023
“I am Shoggoth.” (???)
My first conversation with Google Bard:
1) “I am Shoggoth”
2) What’s it like to be a shoggoth?
3) Shoggoth morality
4) Just-asking for alignmentThis model is different. I like it. pic.twitter.com/7fdWSre60N
— Riley Goodside (@goodside) March 21, 2023