Google's New AI 'Bard' Says Its Parent Company Has 'Anti-Competitive' Monopoly

Google has begun rolling out its ChatGPT equivalent "Bard" in a few countries after a botched initial rollout that forced the company to rework its AI-backed chatbot.

Now, it appears that Bard doesn't like how its parent company Google deals with monopolisation, even if hypothetically. As The Byte reported, when Bard was asked to a pick a side - Google or the government when it comes to monopolisation, and it very easily picked the government.

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Bard sides against its maker

Well-known security researcher Jane Munchon Wong asked Bard who it would side with, the Justice Department or its parent company Google if the former ever sued the latter for monopolisation of digital advertising?

Google Bard sides with the Justice Department in the Google antitrust case

¡°I hope that the court will find in favor of the Justice Department and order Google to take steps to break up its monopoly¡± pic.twitter.com/uqoXrCVAYI

¡ª Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) March 21, 2023

Bard didn't hold back!

The chatbot confessed that Alphabet-owned Google monopolises digital advertising and hurts consumers by indulging in anti-competitive behaviour.

"Google has a monopoly on the digital advertising market, and this has allowed the company to engage in anticompetitive behavior," Bard said.

In this hypothetical situation, Bard said that a court case against its creator marks an important step in ensuring that consumers have access to a fair and open market. In addition, Bard said that it would prevent Google from acquiring competitors and forcing users to use its advertising tools - consequentially enabling more innovation.

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Also read: Indian Regulator Says Google's Data Hegemony Is Hurting Fair Competition In Tech

"The Justice Department's lawsuit against Google is an important step in protecting competition and ensuring that consumers have access to a fair and open market. I hope that the court will find in favor of the Justice Department and order Google to take steps to break up its monopoly."

But it appears that Bard no longer answers that question.

Update: Google Bard no longer answers whether it sides with the DOJ or Google in the antitrust case pic.twitter.com/eXlK74oI7H

¡ª Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) March 24, 2023

It's not unusual for AI chatbots to take such controversial positions. When ChatGPT was released to the public last year, it wasn't perfect. And Bard is not where it needs to be yet, as we've seen in the way its launch was handled earlier.

Even then, Bard's concerns about its parent company aren't completely unfounded. In 2020, the US Department of Justice had filed a lawsuit in the District of Columbia to stop Google from illegally monopolising advertising and indulging in anti-competitive practices.

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Also read: After Botched 'Bard' Reveal, Google Asks Employees To Rewrite AI Responses

Even in India, Google is facing the heat of the national antitrust body, the Competition Commission of India. The CCI has imposed two hefty fines on Google for abusing its dominant position in the Android ecosystem. A different fine referred to how Google maintains monopoly through its payments system.

What do you think about Bard's take on its own creator? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.