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Google Opens Early Access To Bard AI, Prompts Small Bump In Stock Price

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Key takeaways

  • Google’s generative AI chatbot, Bard, is now open to US and UK users as the AI wars move at breakneck speed
  • The Big Tech giant, keen to avoid another AI-related stock price fall, stressed a ‘slowly, slowly’ approach
  • Alphabet’s stock price rose over 3% at the news despite users branding the chatbot as dull compared to Bing and ChatGPT

We have good news for those eagerly awaiting Google’s bite of the AI cherry: Google Bard is now available to US and UK citizens in an open beta. Intended as a rival to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing Chat, the generative AI model is Google’s stake in the ground for the AI wars.

Google’s had a rocky AI journey after being caught out by the runaway success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, launched in November last year. So far we’ve seen an internal ‘code red’ memo, a lackluster launch and promises of generative AI tools without any firm deadlines.

This all begs the question: is Google really prepared to be a leader in this field? It may be a forefather of today’s AI technology, but it’s not at the front of the pack in exciting users and Wall Street. Let’s get into the details.

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What’s the latest with Google Bard?

Google has launched its Bard beta in the US and UK and will expand to new countries and languages soon. Based on a lightweight version of Google’s LaMDA, the generative AI model is intended to complement Google’s search function with a ‘Google it’ button as part of the program.

A unique factor of the Bard product is its ability to generate several ‘draft’ answers to questions or tasks that users can choose from. ChatGPT, in comparison, just provides one answer.

Google now says it’s time for external users testing the product to give feedback and improve the model. “I’m excited to see how Bard sparks more creativity and curiosity in the people who use it,” CEO Sundar Pichai said in an internal memo.

While Google is initially rolling out Bard to 10,000 “trusted testers from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives,” the average Joe can now sign up for the waitlist. It’s already had 80,000 internal testers use the Bard model to keep up with OpenAI and Microsoft in the AI wars.

Google Bard’s launch comes off the back of its announcement that generative AI will be coming to its suite of apps including Google Docs, Sheets and Chat to make working life more productive. There wasn’t a release date mentioned, but Alphabet stock still rose 3.14% at the news.

Wall Street’s reaction

There was a muted reaction from testing users, with some labeling the Bard chatbot as bland compared to other chatbots. That’s likely by design to avoid the unhinged conversations Microsoft’s Bing chatbot had with some users.

Investors seemed to like dull, too. Google stock rose 3.1% on Tuesday following the Bard waitlist announcement. The small gain is an endorsement from investors that Google is on the right track in the AI war.

Google’s AI strategy: in control or panicking?

There’s an interesting underlying message with everything Google says in the beta launch: it repeatedly stresses that the product isn’t perfect. “While LLMs are an exciting technology, they’re not without their faults,” the announcement blog post reads.

Pichai also mentioned in his memo, “As more people start to use Bard and test its capabilities, they’ll surprise us. Things will go wrong.”

Google can’t be blamed for this move: a mistake in the product demo during Bard’s launch caused consternation from investors, wiping off $100bn from the stock. Despite the Bing chatbot having similar issues, the hefty error put Microsoft’s launch head and shoulders above Google.

Every Big Tech company putting their hat into the AI ring has reputation loss at stake. But Google has further to fall: it dominates around 90% of all global search engine traffic.

Strong leadership is needed to weather the storm, but rumors are now swirling around Pichai’s tenure coming to a premature end over the blunders made so far. With founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin returning to the helm at the start of the year, perhaps there’s fire to the smoke.

Our consensus: Google is trying to claw back lost face, but all signs point to the tech titan still running around like a headless chicken. Investors are likely watching Google’s every move in this field closely to spot any headwinds of the tech world order changing.

The broader AI landscape

AI developments have dominated the headlines as Big Tech races to beat the competition, with a dizzying amount of new features and programs announced by global tech companies.

Adobe broke the news this week at its Adobe Summit that its new generative AI image suite, Adobe Firefly, will be coming to its apps like Photoshop and Illustrator soon – and the waitlist to try it out is already open.

Adobe is partnering with chip manufacturer Nvidia, who’s also moving into the AI sphere with its Picasso model. Adobe stock rose 3.1% after the announcement.

In China, Baidu launched its Ernie chatbot last week after CEO Robin Li bluntly stated they were unveiling the tool early because the market was moving ahead. Baidu stock dipped as much as 10% after the pre-recorded demo failed to impress but rallied up 14.3% the following day once news of 30,000 Chinese companies signing up for the service emerged.

Not to mention OpenAI launched GPT-4, a new and improved version of ChatGPT, soon after Google just announced its Bard model was coming. Microsoft’s stock price has risen 14% since the start of 2023 when it announced its $10bn investment in OpenAI.

The bottom line

Google must feel like it’s walking along a tightrope right now. It has to keep moving because its search engine dominance is at stake, but one wrong step and the stock will be sent into freefall.

Wall Street has high expectations, too. That’s why the stock gains haven’t been significant: while it’s running a few weeks behind Microsoft and OpenAI, as the incumbent search engine crown-holder and with so much AI experience under its belt, Google’s chatbot offering could be the greatest yet.

One thing’s for sure: the AI wars are heating up, with investment opportunities ripe for the taking.

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Apple announces Worldwide Developers Conference dates, in-person event – CityNews Toronto

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Apple has announced their annual developers conference will take place June 10 through June 14.

The big summer event will be live-streamed, but some select developers have been invited to attend in-person events at Apple’s campus in Cupertino, California, on June 10.

The company typically showcases their latest software and product updates — including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AppleTV and Vision Pro headset — during a keynote address on the first day.

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Contributing to a drop in Apple’s stock price this year is concern it lags behind Microsoft and Google in the push to develop products powered by artificial intelligence technology. While Apple tends to keep its product development close to the vest, CEO Tim Cook signaled at the company’s annual shareholder meeting in February that it has been making big investments in generative AI and plans to disclose more later this year.

The week-long conference will have opportunities for developers to connect with Apple designers and engineers to gain insight into new tools, frameworks and features, according to the company’s announcement.

The Associated Press

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iPhone 16 Rumors Point to Action Button and New, Vertical Camera Layout – CNET

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The upcoming iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are still months away from their expected launch this fall, but a new set of images published online may give us a better sense of their potential features. Among the revelations, the iPhone 16 may include an action button, similar to the one on last year’s iPhone 15 Pro, and it may have redesigned cameras in a vertical stack.

AppleInsider published a series of photos it says show dummy 3D prints of the upcoming iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro from an unnamed leaker. Aside from the action button and reworked cameras on the iPhone 16, AppleInsider also said its source found the iPhone 16 Pro to be “slightly larger” than its predecessor. Analysts had earlier said they expect the Pro model screens will grow somewhat.

Read more: iPhone 16: All the Major Rumors on Apple’s Next iPhone

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The new details suggest that a series of expected hardware updates are likely for this year’s new iPhones. Apple typically announces new iPhones around September, and the company tends to offer incremental upgrades to each new phone, introducing, over the period of several years, better cameras, screens and battery life, features that end up seeming like major upgrades when people get around to buying a new phone

Last year, Apple added a new titanium frame, action button and USB-C charging to its iPhone 15 Pro, which starts at $999. For its entry-level iPhone, Apple followed its well-worn strategy of trickling pro features down to the mainstream, adding the iPhone 14 Pro’s well-received Dynamic Island to the $799 iPhone 15, along with USB-C charging.

AppleInsider didn’t indicate whether its leaker had divined a reason for the iPhone 16’s shifted camera placements, but the two lenses will now reportedly be stacked one on top of the other, instead of diagonally. Apple has previously said it uses stacked lenses on the iPhone 15 Pro for spatial video capture, a key new technology the company highlighted as part of its $3,499 Apple Vision Pro headset, released in February.

Though AppleInsider’s leaks appear to confirm many previous rumors, not all renders and 3D prints are accurate, something the rumor blog notes itself in its report. Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the veracity of the leaks.

Watch this: What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like

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I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

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Leaked iPhone 16 dummy units hint at larger sizes and new buttons

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The iPhone 15 Pro Max, with a 6.7-inch screen
(Image credit: Future)

We’re already counting down to the arrival of the iPhone 16 series – most probably sometime in September – and a leak showing dummy units of the upcoming phones has revealed a few of the changes we can expect to see later this year.

These dummy units are usually based on supply chain information, and have various business uses – like helping case manufacturers get their wares ready for new phones before they’re launched, for example. In this case, the images were posted to Chinese social network Weibo, as spotted by MacRumors.

Perhaps the most interesting reveal from these blocks of plastic and metal is that they show the previously rumored increase in size for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max displays – up to 6.3 inches (from 6.1 inches) and 6.9 inches (from 6.7 inches) respectively.

That’s not a huge jump of course, but it does mean more screen space for apps and media. The bezels are apparently shrinking down to accommodate the larger screens, which means the increase in the physical size of these handsets is only a slight one.

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On the button

iPhone 16 dummy units leak

The next iPhones might look a bit like this, but less blue (Image credit: Weibo)

Further reveals from this leak match up with what we’ve heard before: that all four models are going to get the Action button that replaced the Ring/Silent switch on the 2023 Pro models, as well as a brand-new Capture button for getting more creative with photos.

Also of note is the redesigned rear camera module that we think is coming to the back of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. The new vertical, pill-shaped look has been leaked already, but this is more evidence that it’s on the way – taking us back to a design that’s more reminiscent of the iPhone 12, which came out in 2020.

As always with such rumors, be somewhat cautious about reading too much into the look of these dummy units. That said, as more and more similar leaks pile up, it becomes more likely that they’re based on accurate information.

The next big Apple date for your calendar is WWDC 2024 – its Worldwide Developers Conference starts on June 10, at which time we should hear much more about what’s coming this year with iOS 18 and Apple’s other software platforms.

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Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

Leaked iPhone 16 dummy units hint at larger sizes and new buttons

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