ChatGPT debuted in beta last year and has since gained a legion of fans around the world. More than that, the AI-powered chatbot has changed the world and the way we interact on the web in search of information. OpenAI’s also started a race between the tech giants who realized that AI is the next big thing in this segment. Now we are in the middle of 2023 and we currently have three top AI chatbots fighting for the top spot – ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and Google Bard.
Table Of Content
The Three ChatBots Compared
Conclusion
Introduction: ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and Google Bard – A Quick Comparison
It is worth noting that Bing Chat and ChatGPT are not exactly fighting, as they are based on the same tech. Microsoft has invested in OpenAI and thanks to that it has been able to implement the GPT technology in its own AI model. Still, these two have some differences, and users may prefer one over the other due to their particularities. In the third place, we have Google Bard, which is the search giant’s attempt to catch up in this segment and provide a solution that overcomes the other two. But how do these three AI Chatbots Compare to Each Other? Let’s Find Out.
In essence, all three have the same principle. The three are generative AI models that take your text prompts and give you unique outputs. These can help you to generate emails, process information, or research online. While these are similar, there are some particularities. Through this article (via), we will summarize some of the appealing aspects of these big three models. This might help you to decide which is better depending on your situation or need, or at least, clear out the confusion.
Bing Chat and ChatGPT have the same GPT Technology
First of all, let’s dive into the Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT). Despite this name, there is no Optimus Prime or Bumblebee here. These are a family of language models developed by OpenAI, which are trained on huge amounts of text data and are fine-tuned for natural language processing (NLP) tasks.
The most recent version of GPT is GPT-4. It powers Bing Chat and can be accessed with ChatGPT Plus. OpenAI has not gone into too much public detail about it yet. Right now, the GPT 3.5 is the one widely available to the public and it was the one that started this party. It was trained on 570 GB of plaintext collected from English Wikipedia, Books, and Web Crawling.
Can These AI Chatbots Think?
The straight answer is NO. These AI chatbots are unable to think and develop feelings. Although their response seems natural, they’re just algorithms that have been trained to do so. They receive loads of information and process this data to deliver concise and clear answers. They are Natural Language models and are not developing feelings or anything related to that.
Comparing the three AI models
ChatGPT
ChatGPT is probably the most popular AI chatbot. It’s the one everyone uses, or maybe it was the one everyone knew first. It started the party last November and revolutionized the way we interact with the web.
The latest iteration is GPT-4, but this is not the version widely available to the public. Unless you’re a ChatGPT Plus user, you’re more familiar with the ChatGPT-3.5 iteration. It is available and free for everyone on the OpenAI website. Sometimes you’ll have to wait for servers to free up to generate responses if you’re on the free plan. OpenAI uses the ChatGPT Plus paid tier, which gives access to the newer GPT-4, which is a notable improvement.
Currently, the main disadvantage of ChatGPT is the lack of access to the wider Internet. All his information is based on “pre-learned” content. Therefore, its knowledge is limited to the year 2021. Therefore, depending on the questions, you may get some erratic results. Despite the drawbacks, it is still a very powerful solution.
OpenAI announced plugins that can help ChatGPT interface with the wider Internet. This expands the possibilities to be more competitive in this area. However, there is a waiting list for plugin access.
Despite the limitations, ChatGPT still has advantages over the competition. It’s easy to use and has the advantage of being the one that rolled the ball. While the competition is growing, ChatGPT still stands as the place to go for those seeking information in the AI field.
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Keep in mind that it’s not the best place for research if you need updated content. Its knowledge base is limited to 2021. Still, it can be a powerful tool to help you with some tasks.
Bing Chat
GPT-4 is limited to ChatGPT Plus users, but there’s a twist: It’s available through Bing Chat. For now, Microsoft’s AI chatbot is the free way to get access to GPT-4. You’ll be approved immediately when you sign up for the waitlist. It can access the rest of the web and source what it finds, so you can verify the authenticity of the information it provides. You may not care about the sources of this information, but remember that it’s there in case you need to verify it. In this aspect, it is much better than ChatGPT, which gets all the information from its “magic box”.
Bing Chat also allows you to choose a conversation style. You can ask it to be more creative, more balanced, or even more precise. Another highlight is that Microsoft has also integrated its image generation into Bing Chat. So you don’t have to pay for Midjourney or set up a local instance of Stable Diffusion. You can get some AI-generated images just by asking.
Of course, Bing Chat is not perfect and has some limitations. Because of its tendency to insult users or exhibit unusual behavior, Microsoft has imposed daily chat limits. There are limits on the total number of queries in a day and the total number of messages in a conversation. This is to limit the ability of the Bing chat to get out of hand. Presumably, the limit also helps Microsoft save some money.
You also have to use Microsoft Edge or the Bing mobile app to access Bing Chat. There are workarounds to make it work on different browsers, but we won’t go into details.
On the plus side, Bing Chat offers a more advanced language model, and you can also choose a conversation “style” that fits your needs. It falls a bit short because of its limitations. For now, Bing Chat is mostly an extension of the search engine. This makes sense, as Microsoft and OpenAI are not directly competing, but rather, let’s say… “growing together”.
Google Bard
Google Bard is perhaps the most “different” solution in the AI battle. After all, Google is using its own technology. It uses a different technology than the GPT-based approach. The technology is an extension of Google’s own LaMDA, which the company teased a couple of years ago at Google I/O. It sounds promising, but according to early reports, it seems to be a bit behind what other companies are doing.
Google has had some problems with misinformation and fact-checking, but it’s learning from its mistakes and improving its model. Google Bard will undoubtedly become a viable competitor to Microsoft and OpenAI. However, there is one major drawback to this chatbot – limited availability.
Right now, Google Bard’s biggest limitation is availability. You can only use it if you live in either the U.S. or the U.K. Meanwhile, ChatGPT is growing in popularity because it is available to everyone. We believe that Google Bard will be expanded soon, but for now, you will have to use alternative AI models if you live outside of these two countries.
Google does not promote Bard as an extension of its search engine. Instead, the AI model is a “complement” to it. Perhaps the search giant is playing it “safe” by not making a big deal about its AI model, at least for now. It’s the opposite of what Microsoft is doing with Bing. Google seems to be behind the curve, but we can’t deny that the company has the potential to catch up later.
For now, we can only wait and see if all the announced improvements will make Google Bard stand up to the competition.
Conclusion – What AI Chatbot is better for you?
As you can see, each chatbot has its own unique characteristics. That’s why it’s hard to recommend the one that best suits your needs. However, we have to agree that ChatGPT is still the best. It may have the 2021 limitation, but you can still get reliable information with just a few clicks. Bing Chat is useful and more reliable thanks to Internet access. However, its limitations may keep newcomers away. Google Bard is still closed in terms of availability and too far behind to be considered as an alternative right now. So ChatGPT is still the friendly solution we all have access to right now. Once OpenAI releases the plugins to the public, ChatGPT will become even more powerful than it is now.
Also, ChatGPT is still the safest, as it can easily help you write emails and improve texts and codes without many problems. So, at least for the time being, it seems to be the best alternative among the current AI chatbots. Of course, you’re still free to try the other alternatives and draw your conclusions.
