Pixel Phones May Soon Feature An Exclusive Google Bard AI Widget

Google is apparently trying to replicate Microsoft's formula of pushing AI on all fronts. According to code analysis performed by 9to5Google, the search giant is planning to serve a dedicated widget for its Bard AI right on the home screen. However, it looks like this convenience will be exclusive to Google's own Pixel series of smartphones and the upcoming Pixel tablet. Based on the analysis, the widget will offer one-click access to Bard, Google's in-house competitor to OpenAI's ChatGPT. However, it is unclear if the widget would find its integration inside the Google Assistant app or the eponymous Google app when it eventually arrives.

Bard is still in its preview phase, and it looks like keeping it exclusive to Pixel phone owners won't be much trouble for Google, considering the Pixel series' limited share in the smartphone market. Plus, the code snippet for the Bard widget popping up when the I/O developers conference is right around the corner is a sign that the feature might be announced in the coming weeks.

Google has reportedly been in panic mode internally since ChatGPT arrived on the scene, especially from a competition perspective. Microsoft has feverishly integrated OpenAI's generative AI tools with its Edge browser, Bing search engine, and the Office suite of products, all of which compete with Google's own search offering, the Chrome browser, and the Worksuite portfolio of productivity tools.

Google hasn't tasted the kind of positive reception for Bard that it hoped for, thanks in no part to a factual inaccuracy that popped right up in Google's own demo. Subsequent tests performed by folks with access to the preview version allegedly revealed that Bard has a "pathological lying" problem and that it can't be trusted with SEO-related suggestions despite Google holding the search monopoly across the world wide web, according to Bloomberg.

Even Google CEO Sundar Pichai admitted last month that AI hallucination is still a nagging problem, something that still lacks a definitive solution. But despite the technical setbacks, Google would lose more steam if its product remains limited to only a small bunch of users. Microsoft, on the other hand, announced earlier today that its GPT-4-fueled Bing Chat experience is now available to all users without a waitlist system. 

Pushing Bard right on the Home Screen of Pixel phones in the form of a widget sounds like a step in the right direction. But do keep in mind that the aforementioned findings are limited to code changes only. Google might decide to nix the widget before release if it doesn't meet quality standards during in-house testing. We'll likely hear more about Bard at Google's eagerly anticipated I/O event that kicks off on May 10.