The AI chatbot race is well underway and companies are in a mad dash to shove quirky, sometimes snippy little chatbots into our lives as quickly as possible. ChatGPT burst through global consciousness and cemented itself as the chatbot to beat, quickly assimilated by Microsoft in its updated search engine, Bing. Not wanting to be left out, Google announced its AI champion, Bard, at an underwhelming launch event, followed by mixed messages and an obvious struggle to keep up.
It’s hard to keep track of what is really going on with Google Bard, but it seems like its public debut may finally be imminent.
Some members of Google’s Pixel Superfan program have apparently received an email offering them early access to Google Bard, spotted in a Reddit thread. In the invite below users can click on a link that’ll ask them to verify their email address and ‘hang tight’ until they follow up with further access instructions.
The Superfan Program is for people passionate about Pixel and Google tech, and is essentially a free members community that allows people to engage with other fans, ask the Google team questions directly, get invited to special events, buy merch and more.
Invite Only
The invite hammers home that not only is the selection random, but spaces are limited and the form will be closed off once early access capacity has been reached. So, if you’re feeling a little left out don’t worry; it wasn’t personal.
According to selected participants, once the form is filled out they are told that Google will get back to them with further instructions to allow users to “get started as soon as Bard launches” which could hopefully be soon.
If you are in the Pixel Superfan program and haven’t received the invitation mail, you’ll probably have to wait for the public version of Bard with the rest of us.
But if you’re feeling as much FOMO as I am, you can sign up to become a Superfan at no cost and join the social private community. You probably won’t get added to the list of Bard special guests, but you’ll be all setup and ready for the next big launch or event. All you have to do is fill out the survey provided and Google will get back to you.
