Bard vs ChatGPT: Which is Better for Business?

Google’s AI chatbot Bard has finally launched in the European Union (EU), positioning itself as a direct competitor of ChatGPT. With Bard AI on the market, European IT leaders now have another option to pilot generative AI initiatives. According to a report by MIT Technology Review Insights and Databricks, most CIOs are adopting generative AI as an enterprise-wide strategy and 78% consider scaling AI a top priority.  

However, is Bard better than ChatGPT? Let’s review both AI chatbots’ features, pros and cons, and privacy policies.   

ChatGPT vs Bard: A Quick Overview 

ChatGPT vs Bard: Pros and Cons  

Bard and ChatGPT are similar in terms of having a user-friendly interface, an easy sign-up process, and a chat-sharing function. However, Bard and ChatGPT have their own advantages and limitations.  

ChatGPT Pros and Cons 

Bard Pros and Cons 

Reminder: Both Bard and ChatGPT are not free from hallucinations and may produce inaccurate results. All responses must be fact-checked and require human intervention with proofreading and editing.  

ChatGPT vs Bard: Which is More Secure?  

The issue of data security and privacy with generative AI chatbots continues to be a concern, especially in the EU. The delayed launch of Bard in the EU was due to Google’s efforts to make changes to controls for users and increased transparency to comply with regional privacy laws.  

Google has also agreed to conduct a review and report back to the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) in three months’ time. In addition, a task force under the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) is looking into both Bard and ChatGPT’s compliance with the pan-EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).  

Forbes contributor and author Joe Toscano also did a deep dive into the privacy practices of Bard and ChatGPT. Bard claims that they do not track user browsing activity or collect user data for advertising purposes. Advertising aside, Toscano found that Google may send Bard conversations to human reviewers and does not delete conversations. “It’s safer to just assume everything you put in will be saved and used to train Google’s systems,” Toscano says.  

On the other hand, ChatGPT collects certain personal user information such as IP addresses and device information. ChatGPT also stores all user prompts and responses. “There’s a good chance that if someone asks a question that’s similar or could use your content as a response your proprietary information will then be repurposed by the system,” Toscano adds.  

It’s unclear how data shared with Bard and ChatGPT are protected. In the meantime, the onus is on the users to refrain from sharing confidential and sensitive information and use VPNs whenever possible.  

The Use of ChatGPT and Bard at the Workplace

Since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, many organizations have leveraged the AI chatbot and other similar tools to ease workflows particularly in marketing, sales, and customer support. In addition, the coding functionalities in ChatGPT and Bard have made building applications much easier.  

However, the rising use of generative AI tools in the workplace opens a can of worms for IT and security leaders. Since tools like ChatGPT and Bard are highly accessible and user-friendly, employees tend to use them without supervision from IT and security teams. Gartner predicts that 5% of employees will engage in unauthorized use of generative AI in their organizations by 2026. 

ChatGPT has already made headlines with its security vulnerabilities. In May 2023, Meta released a report detailing their investigation into ChatGPT-posing malware that’s been stealing user accounts. A month earlier, Samsung banned ChatGPT organization-wide after employees unintentionally shared confidential information with the AI chatbot. 

Therefore, IT and security teams must work together to ensure generative AI tools are being used safely within the organization to reduce security risks and prevent data leaks. 

The Adoption of ChatGPT and Bard: What IT and Security Leaders Can Do

• Conduct a shadow AI audit: This is to get a clearer picture of how widely generative AI tools are being used by employees. Determine which functions use it the most, what data they are sharing, and calculate security risks.  
• Provide training on generative AI: Employees can benefit from function-specific training on how to use AI chatbots safely. Training should cover privacy policies of the tools, reminders to never input confidential company data, how to write effective prompts, security risks of generative AI, and more.  
• Create policies for generative AI use: Establish clear guidelines on how employees must use AI chatbots at the workplace. For example, only using IT-approved generative AI tools and data sets.  
• Invest in data-loss-prevention (DLP) tools: Carve out an annual budget for DLPs to bolster cybersecurity measures and prevent data leaks as more employees use generative AI tools.  

Is Bard Better than ChatGPT? 

Despite their risks, generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Bard have the potential to create more efficient workflows and drive employee productivity if used correctly. Therefore, IT and security leaders must make developing clear policies and guidelines around generative AI use a priority.  

The answer to whether Bard or ChatGPT is better highly depends on how both tools integrate with existing processes, how educated employees are in using them, and which one will pose fewer security risks for your organization.