Google’s conversation AI tool Bard joins programming realm

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Apr 2023 11:29

Google's AI chatbot has been upgraded to include programming skills such as coding and debugging.

Shown is Google's Bard website in Glenside, Pa., Monday, March 27, 2023. (AP)

Software developers who require assistance in programming can now seek Google's conversation AI tool Bard.

Following an increased user demand, Google upgraded Bard to include a new set of skills such as generating code, debugging, and code explanation.

A blog post by Paige Bailey, Google Research product lead, explained that one of the top requests that Google had received from its users has been adding coding abilities to Bard.

Google announced on Friday the availability of these software development tools in over 20 programming languages, including C++, Go, Java, JavaScript, Python, and TypeScript. Google Colab users can export Python code. Additionally, Bard can assist with Google Sheets' functions writing.

Developers may instruct Bard, "This code didn't work, please fix it," and the AI program will be able to complete the task according to Google. For people who are new to programming, it can also translate code across languages and explain code snippets.

However, Bailey maintained that Bard remains in the early experimental phase wherein it “may sometimes provide inaccurate, misleading or false information while presenting it confidently.”

Moreover, the product lead announced that despite challenges, "Bard’s new capabilities can help you by offering new ways to write code, create test cases, or update APIs," adding that "if Bard quotes at length from an existing open source project, it will cite the source.”

It is worth noting that Bard has not been a match for ChatGPT and other chatbots with which it was initially it was created to compete. The new upgrade would allow Bard to, at the very least, keep up with other AI chatbots even if only on paper.

Homeland Security confirms plans to use AI for national protection

In contrast, ChatGPT has been able to take the lead in user trust in chatbots. At the Council of Foreign Relations, US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas confirmed on Friday, April 21, that artificial intelligence (AI) will be applied to a task force being set up in an attempt to protect US critical infrastructure and interests.

"I am directing the creation of our Department’s first Artificial Intelligence Task Force that will drive specific applications of AI to advance our critical homeland security missions," Mayorkas stated, adding that the DHS intends to advance the stability of supply chains and trade in the US.

"We will seek to deploy AI to more ably screen cargo, identify the importation of goods produced with forced labor, and manage risks," he said.

One of the task force's objectives is to block and prevent the flow of fentanyl into the US, as Mayorkas claims AI will "better detect fentanyl shipments, identify and interdict the flow of precursor chemicals around the world, and target for disruption key nodes in the criminal networks."

AI is not new to US law enforcement systems, as Assistant Chief of Miami's Police force, Armando Aguilar, confirmed last month that his unit used Clearview AI (which allows police to identify suspects through face photo searches) to identify suspects of various crimes, adding that it was used nearly 450 times a year.