Google Bard can now also write and debug code
Programs like ChatGPT impress with their ability to generate appropriate code for a problem presented in text form. It was all the more astonishing that Google initially left out this topic with its own text AI Bard. Now, however, the company has followed suit and added this feature to Bard.
Google employees allegedly called Bard a “morbid liar” and “worse than useless.” The company probably wants to get rid of this accusation: Thanks to a new update, Bard can now also create and analyze code.
Right from the start, the AI ​​repertoire includes more than 20 programming languages ​​such as C++, Java, Javascript, Python and Typescript. Additionally, Python codes created with Bard can be easily exported to Google Colab without the hassle of copying and pasting.
In addition to being able to generate new code, Bard can also analyze existing code snippets and explain step-by-step in text form how the program is structured. If the AI ​​cites larger passages from existing open source projects, the source is given.
According to Google, it is also possible for Bard to analyze existing code and explain how methods and functions relate to each other and how they work. This feature can be particularly useful when the human-produced documentation is incomplete or difficult to understand.
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“This is especially helpful when you’re learning a programming language for the first time,” says one Google blog post.
Now Bard can also perform programming tasks and support software development. The possibility that Bard can also write functions for Google Sheets is particularly useful. In this way, extensive evaluations of large amounts of data can be easily carried out.
Finally, Bard can also debug code, even if it was created by himself. If the code doesn’t work as expected, you can simply ask Bard to fix it.
However, Google points out that Bard is still in the experimental stage and the generated code may therefore contain errors. It is therefore advisable to thoroughly test the code generated by the bard before using it.
However, the company emphasizes that text AI can be used not only to create text, but also to fix and optimize code. By using Bard, existing codes can be gradually improved and bugs fixed. For example, the AI ​​can be asked to optimize inefficient code or to fix specific deficits.
Bard is currently only officially available in the US and requires registration on a waitlist. However, there is a way to bypass the block with a suitable VPN service.
The latest update is the second major addition to Bard’s capabilities since the service’s launch. Math and logic skills have already been added recently. Google documents all of these changes on a special website.
