In a major update since the launch of Bard in March 2023, Google said its conversational AI service will now be able to help with programming and software development tasks. Although it is very early into the development, it is not clear as to whether Google is trying to become the top AI chatbot for software professionals while OpenAI’s ChatGPT is developed for general purposes. The search engine giant said coding has been on top of its list of requests from our users for embedding into the AI service.

In a fresh update on its generative AI project, Google said Bard can assist developers in tasks like code generation, debugging and code explanation. Bard can help craft SQL queries for user database, translate software from one language to another, debug lines of source code and explain code line by line. However, the company warned that Bard is still in early stages and that it may sometimes provide inaccurate, misleading or false information.

Similarly, ChatGPT, on the other hand, can also demystify technical content like software code in laymen terms, while also helping in fixing coding errors. With Google’s large range of G Suite products and its strength in reach among software professionals, Bard could potentially have an early advantage in the coding assist space. However, the rapid pace of development in the generative AI space could also give a share of the market to new entrants.

(By Anvesh Reddy)