Google AI chatbot Bard now helps people generate, debug programming code

Google has updated its AI chatbot called Bard to help people with programming and software development tasks, including code generation, code debugging and explanation.

The company is launching these capabilities in more than 20 programming languages including C++, Go, Java, Javascript, Python and Typescript.

"You can easily export Python code to Google Colab -- no copy and paste required. Bard can also assist with writing functions for Google Sheets," said the tech giant.

In addition to generating code, Bard can also help explain code snippets for people, especially those who are learning about programming for the first time.

If Bard gives you an error message or code that doesn't do what you intended, just tell Bard "this code didn't work, please fix it", and Bard can help you debug, said the company.

Bard is still an early experiment, and may sometimes provide inaccurate, misleading or false information while presenting it confidently, Google admitted.

However, when it comes to coding, Bard may give you working code that doesn't produce the expected output, or provide you with code that is not optimal or incomplete.

"Always double-check Bard's responses and carefully test and review code for errors, bugs and vulnerabilities before relying on it," the company explained.

Bard is already helping people with everyday tasks, from crafting presentations and writing lesson plans to inventing new recipes or planning a workout routine.

Alarmed at the success of Microsoft-owned OpenAI's ChatGPT, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai has created a unit that will help the company build more capable AI systems safely and responsibly.

This group, called 'Google DeepMind', will bring together two leading research groups in the AI field: the Brain team from Google Research, and DeepMind.

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