Google Bard Getting a 'Memory' Switch to Remember Important Information

The goal is to make the AI chatbot's answers better.

Google Bard, which is like ChatGPT but from Google, might seem like it joined the AI chatbot scene a bit late. But actually, Google started talking about being an "AI-first" company back in 2017. Over time, they've been working on it and finally launched Bard earlier this year, although it's still kind of in an experimental stage. Since then, Google has been adding Bard's features to some of its products, using something called Extensions.

Now, Google is adding something called "Memory" to Bard. It's a way for Bard to remember more about you, so it can better understand your requests in the future. Before, when you started talking to Bard, it didn't know much about you, except for what it got from Extensions. But now, you can choose to turn on this Memory feature. It's optional, so you can decide if you want to use it or not. You'll see a button on the left side of the screen that lets you turn it on or off.

With Memory turned on, Bard can remember things from past conversations and use that information to give you better responses. For example, if you tell Bard that you don't eat meat or that you have two kids, it will remember that for next time. It can even remember if you ask it to keep responses shorter. So, it's a way for Bard to get to know you better and make your interactions more personalized.

When you set up a memory in Bard, it makes sure that the responses it gives match the preferences or details you've chosen. For example, if you specify that you want recipes without meat or want to plan a trip for your family with specific details about your children, Bard will try to provide information accordingly.

If you can't find the Memory tab on your Bard homepage, don't worry; it might be rolling out gradually, and you'll likely get it soon.

You can also create your own memory, which will work alongside information from other sources like Maps, YouTube, Docs, Gmail, and more, as long as you've given the necessary permissions. If you want to remove or change a memory you've created, it seems you can do that from the same page where you made it.

Google's chatbot has been expanding its features, but there have been some hiccups along the way. Recently, there was an issue where private Bard conversations were being indexed on Google Search. Google admitted this wasn't supposed to happen and said they would fix it to prevent conversations from being searchable.

Bard, the AI system, doesn't just affect individual users. It needs data from lots of websites to get smart, and Google has a new tool called Google-Extended to help website owners keep Bard away from their stuff. This helps them protect their privacy.