My initial impressions of Google Bard

So I was in a rush to write this article because i want to use this as a reference to see how my opinion will change in a few months time, so here we go.

Well, it's been quite an exciting day with the release of Google Bard (And other announcements) , giving me yet another Lingatrix toy to tinker with. I'll admit, for some basic amusement, it didn't completely flop. But don't think I'm about to toss out my usual tools and replace them with this shiny new distraction. It's been interesting to see what it can do, but for now, I'm not exactly itching to use it all the time. Who knows, though? Maybe time will prove me wrong.

Let's dive into it, shall we? At first, I just poked and prodded Google Bard a bit, and honestly, it felt like good old days when ChatGPT-3 was all about hallucinations. In that sense, it's a total mess. But, it does seem to have some web-searching skills, or at least it pretends to. I have to admit, some of the results were pretty impressive.

In terms of asking it something I knew, I asked it a question and my opinion about it’s response was it lacks the nuance and color that a human touch can provide. It's a well-constructed answer, but it feels a bit like reading a textbook. It could use a bit more flavor, like specific anecdotes or lesser-known facts to make it more engaging. But I suppose for a machine learning model, it's doing a pretty good job. However the answer was good, some people would enjoy such a boring but straight forward answer.

But you know what really caught my attention? Google Bard didn't come with all that insufferable nannying that OpenAI just can't seem to let go of. I asked straight questions, got straight answers, and it felt refreshingly free of all that constant hand-holding. Sure, it's probably collecting data like every other Google product, but at least it's not breathing down my neck about it. It's such a relief to feel a little more at ease, don't you think?

So, I had this one, very specific expectation for Google Bard, and it's really all I wanted from it: a modern web search that's actually worth its salt. I'm beyond tired of seeing low-quality websites cluttering up the front page of Google. My first test? I just wanted some solid IEM recommendations, alright?

But if you try Googling that, brace yourself for the avalanche of garbage "Top X IEMs in Year Y" articles, swarming with Amazon affiliate links and ridiculously biased 5-star reviews. It's enough to make anyone scream, "Just no!"

Well, color me surprised – Bard actually hit a home run with its recommendations. Sure, there were a couple I might not totally agree with, but overall, we're talking about genuinely good products being compared with each other, so I can let it slide. But that's about as far as my praise goes.

You see, when I closed the window and lost my chat history, I asked Bard again, and this time it gave me a different set of recommendations using a different criteria. And that's where things went south – one of the recommendations was a seriously shady product that had no business being on that list. So, as a tool for product recommendations, Bard's close, but not quite there yet. It's definitely a step up from those obnoxious clickbait results, and if this service can help people avoid those sites, then I'm all for it.

I did manage to copy the initial response because I was impressed by it, so I got lucky there, good tools are vital!

Bard
There are many great IEMs on the market, so it can be tough to choose the right one. Here are a few of my top recommendations:

Moondrop Aria: The Moondrop Aria is a great all-around IEM that offers excellent sound quality and value for the price. It has a balanced sound signature with a slight emphasis on the bass, making it perfect for a variety of genres.
Tanchjim Blessing 2 Dusk: The Tanchjim Blessing 2 Dusk is a more expensive option, but it offers a more detailed and refined sound. It has a neutral sound signature with a slight emphasis on the treble, making it perfect for critical listening.
FiiO FH3: The FiiO FH3 is a great option for those looking for a bass-heavy IEM. It has a V-shaped sound signature with a strong emphasis on the bass and treble.
Campfire Audio Polaris II: The Campfire Audio Polaris II is a high-end IEM that offers excellent sound quality and build quality. It has a balanced sound signature with a slight emphasis on the mids, making it perfect for a variety of genres.
Sennheiser IE 300 Pro: The Sennheiser IE 300 Pro is a great option for those looking for a professional-grade IEM. It has a neutral sound signature with a wide soundstage, making it perfect for studio monitoring.
Ultimately, the best IEM for you will depend on your individual preferences and budget. If you're not sure which IEM to choose, I recommend reading reviews and listening to demos before making a purchase.

I do not agree with everything here, but I was impressed. It also did not cite how it came up with those selections.

So, for the sake of fairness, I decided to give Bing Chat a shot, even though I knew it was likely to fail miserably at this particular task. And, well, surprise, surprise – it totally bombed. And where did it pull this sorry list from? None other than one of those clickbait sites plastered with affiliate links peddling junk. Fantastic.

Feeling like we needed another contender in this race, I gave Phind a whirl, hoping it wouldn't just turn into a "let's bash Bing Chat" party. But alas, Phind fell into the same trap, except it decided to write a whole essay before revealing its pathetic list. I couldn't be bothered with the essay, so I skipped straight to the results. On closer inspection, it seemed like Phind sourced its list from a mix of clickbait and other sites, but since I'm not familiar with those, I can't vouch for the quality of its answer. If it's relying on that same clickbait garbage, then it's a hard pass from me.

My parting thoughts for the matter at the time, I can't help but acknowledge that Bing Chat does seem to have an edge in handling various tasks, thanks to the power of GPT-4. Bard, on the other hand, has quite a journey ahead before it can even dream of dethroning its rival. Also being a Google product expect it to be scraped in a year or two. And yes in this test I did particular test it with something I knew Bing Chat was bad at dealing with so I can't call it fair.

So, there you have it. Feel free to play around with these tools, but don't just blindly follow their advice. Remember, it's still early days for tools like this, so always double-check and do your own research before trusting anything they say!