Google Didn’t Rush Bard Chatbot to Beat Microsoft, Executive Says

tech.hindustantimes.com:

A senior Google executive disputed suggestions that the company rushed to release its artificial intelligence-based chatbot Bard earlier this year to beat a similar offering from rival Microsoft Corp. Testifying in Google's defense at the Justice Department's antitrust trial against the search giant, Elizabeth Reid, a vice president of search, acknowledged that Bard gave “a wrong answer” during its public unveiling in February. But she rejected the contention by government lawyer David Dahlquist that Bard was “rushed” out after Microsoft announced it was integrating generative AI into its own Bing search engine.

“I don't think you can make that conclusion,” Reid said. “Microsoft's announcement also had several errors in it. The technology is very nascent. It makes mistakes. That's why we've been hesitant to put it forward.”

In its landmark competition trial, the Justice Department has been seeking to show how Google maintains its monopoly in search by cutting off rivals such as Microsoft. Government lawyers have been seeking to show that Google's dominance also meant it intentionally delayed technological advances if they could threaten its position. 

Reid became a vice president of search at Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., in 2021 after years working on Google Maps and local search features. She testified about the company's work on developing local search and its recent move into AI with the Search Generative Experience, a limited version powered by generative AI. Several Google executives have testified at the trial about the company's efforts to incorporate AI and machine learning into its products.

Google announced the release of Bard on Monday, Feb. 6, with Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai calling it “an