Despite the competition for the most advanced artificial intelligence technology, Google is finding ways to assure its customers that it is still on the cutting edge.
The bot answered a question incorrectly in an advertisement showcasing its recently developed AI bot. On Wednesday, a 7% drop in Alphabet shares knocked $100bn (£82bn) off the firm’s market value.
As part of the promotion for the bot, named Bard, which was released on Monday, the bot was asked what to tell a nine-year-old about discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope.
It offered the response that the telescope was the first to take pictures of a planet outside the earth’s solar system, when in fact, that milestone was claimed by the European Very Large Telescope in 2004 – a mistake quickly noted by astronomers on Twitter.
A presentation describing the company’s plans to deploy artificial intelligence in its products was underwhelming.
Since last year, Google has been under pressure from Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s ChatGPTT software. As a result, it quickly became a viral hit for its ability to pass business school exams, compose song lyrics, and answer other questions.