Google Bard vs ChatGPT-4 - Who is the King of AI Tools?

In recent years, we've been witnessing the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), especially in the field of language models. Undoubtedly, two of the biggest players on the market are Google with Google Bard (currently known as Gemini) and OpenAI with ChatGPT-4. How do they differ, and what can they offer you?

What is a language model?

Before we dive into comparing these two tools, we should explain a bit about language models. Simply put, they are smart computer programs that learn to understand and generate human language. Imagine them as super robots capable of reading and understanding vast amounts of text from books and articles to social media posts.

And not only that, they can also create meaningful sentences and respond to your questions as if they were having a real conversation with you. But beware, language models are not true artificial intelligence as seen in movies like Terminator. Their principle is based on predicting what could follow after inputting a certain query or task.

Companies train them on huge volumes of data, from which models pick up patterns. Using these patterns, they can fulfill commands given to them. In short, they don't understand what you're writing to them but merely predict which words could be the response to your questions.

What is Google Bard?

First, let's look at Google Bard, which was renamed Gemini at the beginning of 2024. It was created by the giant Google to compete with ChatGPT – which we will examine in detail below. Specifically, it is a multimodal model that can work with various types of information, including text, code, audio, images, and video. The Gemini AI is available in two versions:

• Gemini – This is the basic version intended for general tasks. It is not as powerful, reflected in the quality of outputs. There are no fees for its use.
• Gemini Advanced – A more powerful version that offers additional advantages, such as processing larger amounts of data and producing higher quality outputs. This version is not yet available in the Czech Republic and is paid.

In the Czech Republic, you can use the basic version of Gemini completely free of charge. Simply type Gemini into your browser, open the official Google website, sign in with a Google account, and you can start chatting. The number of queries per day is limited to a few dozen. If you plan to use Gemini frequently and for the long term, consider what questions you ask.

What is ChatGPT-4?

Now we get to the second most famous language model, ChatGPT-4, developed by OpenAI. So far, it is the latest and most advanced model in the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) series.

Compared to its predecessors, it offers higher accuracy, better natural language processing capabilities, and additional useful functions such as image generation and real-time internet browsing. Additionally, you can use it to:

• generate presentations,
• specialized assistants,
• create custom assistants and chatbots.

In this case, you also have access to the free ChatGPT-3.5 version, which does only a fraction of what ChatGPT-4 can do.

What is the difference between Google Bard and ChatGPT-4?

The main differences between Gemini (Google Bard) and ChatGPT-4 lie primarily in the available functions and the quality of outputs, or what each language model can generate. Both have internet access, making them more powerful than regular browsers. They can also work with videos, images, and spoken words. However, Gemini has several drawbacks. Its outputs are often not as high quality as those of ChatGPT-4.

The available functions are also limited, not including features like image generation, complex analyses, or document processing. Of course, it has its advantages too, such as being completely free and capable of processing extensive texts up to 100,000 characters. ChatGPT-4, on the other hand, supports only around 4,000 characters and costs about 600 CZK per month.

Uses of Gemini (Google Bard)

• text generation,
• translations,
• internet searches,
• text summarization,
• email generation,
• information retrieval from Google products.

Uses of ChatGPT-4

• same functions as Gemini (with limited access to Google products),
• image generation,
• presentation creation,
• creating assistants for various tasks,
• using a wide range of already created assistants,
• integration with other applications,
• complex text analysis,
• creating chatbots.

Do you now know which of these two language models is the right one for you? Whether you're just curious or planning to use AI for work, it's time to get acquainted with it. If you want to use AI tools to their fullest extent and don't mind paying a bit more, ChatGPT-4 is the clear choice. On the other hand, less demanding users who use AI sporadically will appreciate the free Gemini (Google Bard).