Google Bard integrates Gmail, Docs, Drive & more: Check out these cool new features

The biggest upgrade to Bard is the launch of Bard Extensions in English. The tech giant has called it a new way to collaborate and engage with Bard. The extension feature allows Bard to display relevant information fetched from various Google apps such as Gmail, Drive, Docs, Maps, YouTube, and Google Flights and Hotels. In essence, the extension feature offers information from across Google apps and services.

Extensions to Bard
Some of the interesting use cases of extensions include asking Bard to offer bulk dates from everyone on your Gmail for a holiday trip; and look up real-time flight and hotel information. It can also access Google Maps to offer directions to the airport, and even informative YouTube videos on the same. Another use case could be, while applying for a job, Bard can come in handy to search a resume from Gmail and create a short summary or cover letter for the respective job application. 

Google has stated that it is committed to protecting personal information. “If you choose to use the Workspace extensions, your content from Gmail, Docs, and Drive is not seen by human reviewers, used by Bard to show you ads, or used to train the Bard model,” the company said, adding that users will always be in control of their privacy settings. 

It is to be noted that the Google Extension library only features Google Apps and services for now. When asked if we could anticipate the expansion of Google Bard’s extension library to incorporate third-party plugins in the future, Amar Subramanya, VP of Bard, said that the company was currently focussed on bringing all Google tools to Bard. 

Shared conversations

Google is now allowing users of Bard to share their conversations. With the new feature, users will be able to use conversations shared by others as a starting point for their own creative explorations. To share their Bard conversation, users simply need to share Bard’s public link-sharing feature. From the link, users will be able to continue that conversation in their own account and build off from there. 

Double-check responses on shared conversations

Now, users can use the ‘Google it’ button with more ease to double-check its responses. According to the company, this improvement can be beneficial for those working on Google Research and Google DeepMind. After the new update, upon clicking the G icon on Bard, the chatbot will read the response, evaluate the content, and substantiate it based on information from across the web. Bard will also highlight the response to give it more context. 

The new feature allows users to find context and validate Bard’s responses instantly. (Image: Google)

When asked if there was a mechanism in place to enable real-time validation of responses and to promptly alert users in case of disinformation, Subramanya affirmed. “Bard does have the ability to take each of the responses it has generated and then go look for contact on the web and see if there is content on the web that either substantiates it or does not. So yes, it does have the ability to go look up that information. There is real-time information,” he told Indianexpress.com.

Google Lens in more languages

Google said that it is expanding access to its existing English language features such as the ability to upload images with Google Lens, Search images in responses, and modify Bard’s responses in over 40 supported languages. 

Google said that the new features have been possible owing to the updates it made to the PaLM2, its most capable language model.