Google's Bard: A Cool Upgrade, But Not Quite There Yet

Google's chat tool, Bard, has a new feature called Bard Extensions. It sounds fancy, but what does it do? Simply, it lets Bard connect to Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Drive. This means Bard can be more helpful by using your personal info. But early feedback? It's got some kinks to iron out.

Until now, Bard was mainly a chat buddy. With Bard Extensions, it aims to become a handy helper for your daily tasks. Imagine asking it about your next meeting or to sum up an email – that's the idea.

However, while it sounds cool on paper, it's not perfect in real life. Kevin Roose from The New York Times tried it out and found it a bit hit-or-miss. Bard did okay with easy stuff, like going over emails, but got confused with trickier tasks.

For example, Kevin wanted to see if Bard could make sense of his Gmail and tell him more about himself. The result? Bard made up some stuff and got it wrong. This raises a simple point: if Bard can't do something, it's better to say so rather than make up answers.

Also, Kevin checked out Bard's travel tips since it's now linked with Google's travel tools. The outcome was a mixed bag. While Bard got some flight details right, it missed out on train info.

A lot of us can relate to having a messy email inbox, right? Kevin hoped Bard could help sort his. While Bard was good at looking at specific emails, it had a tough time with bigger tasks, like writing replies or listing important contacts.

Jack Krawczyk, a top guy at Google for Bard, said Bard Extensions is still new. Right now, it's only for personal Google accounts and just in English. Plus, you need to switch it on yourself. But there's good news for those worried about privacy. Google says it won't use the personal stuff Bard sees to make the tool better, and no real person will peek at it.

So, what's the final word? Google's Bard Extensions is a peek into what chat tools might do in the future. It's a cool idea but needs some fixing up. The good part? Tech always gets better. And with big names like Google working on it, we have lots to look forward to!