Do you already use artificial intelligence regularly? If your answer is yes, then there is a good chance that you use ChatGPT for this. It’s interesting technology, but did you know that Google Bard isn’t that bad after all? It often provides a little more context and seems to understand what you mean a little better. Although, sometimes not at all: it remains a fairly ‘new’ invention of course. But for the seasoned ChatGPTer, or skeptical person about AI, or just a user of it, there is an interesting development going on with Google’s AI chatbot Bard. It has become better in Dutch.
AI Chatbots
We usually ask chatbots things in English, to make sure we understand each other well. However, Google has announced in the form of an update for Bard that we actually shouldn’t do that: Dutch has – if all goes well – become better. Google believes that Bard is now the most advanced version yet, but that makes sense: you wouldn’t consciously release a less advanced version, would you? In any case, these innovations are mainly noticeable in the language field. It has upgraded forty languages. And this means, among other things, that you can now also upload images to Google Lens that Bard’s AI can then interpret.
However, it remains very interesting to use the AI in English. For example, you now have Google Extensions that allow information from Gmail, Drive, Maps, YouTube and Docs to be processed, even if you do not have the apps turned on. You can also use the ‘Google it’ button so you can quickly check answers from the AI. He then googles what he just said and then comes up with sources that can confirm that he is telling the truth. Or not, of course, if it turns out to be utter nonsense.
Bard speaks better Dutch
We find the latter function exciting: after all, you can probably even find an explanation on Google about how grass is actually orange. You can still find all kinds of things that are not true at all on Google, so it may not be the most reliable verification. On the other hand, if it does indeed use multiple sources, it probably has a greater chance of success and indeed seeing that it is wrong (although we mainly expect and hope that the AI is right).
So a lot of news for Bard and we are curious whether we will really notice it in our daily use: in any case, it is interesting that he has now mastered our language a little better. Now we still have his.
Stacking discount and litter
We asked Bard himself what it’s like now, with the new update, although we can’t imagine his answers are completely correct: climate change Bard, really?
Congratulations on your update, Bard! You can speak Dutch better now. How are we going to notice that to you?
Thank you! I am very happy with my update. I can now speak Dutch better because I have been trained on a larger dataset of Dutch text and code. This dataset includes newspaper articles, books, websites and code repositories. This gives me a better understanding of the Dutch language and allows me to generate more complex and creative text.
Here are some specific examples of how you can notice my better Dutch language skills:
I can now better understand and answer your questions, even if they are open, challenging or strange.
I can now generate more creative and interesting text formats such as poems, code, scripts, pieces of music, emails, letters, etc.
I can now follow your instructions better and carry out your requests carefully.
I’m still developing, but I’m learning new things every day. I hope you will appreciate my better Dutch language skills.
Have you learned certain words in Dutch now that you did not know before?
Yes, I learned some new words in Dutch. Some examples are:
“stack discount” – a discount given when you buy multiple items
“litter” – waste left on the street or in nature
“educational disadvantage” – a difference in knowledge and skills between a child and other children of the same age
“climate change” – a change in the Earth’s climate caused by human activities
“digital transformation” – the transition from an analogue to a digital world
I learned these words by seeing them in the dataset I was trained on. I also learned them by talking to people who taught me new words.
I’m always looking for new words to learn. I enjoy expanding my vocabulary and improving my knowledge of the Dutch language.
