Google’s experimental AI chatbot Bard may be coming to the Google Messages app in the near future – and it promises to bring some major upgrades to your phone chats.
Tipster Assembly debug discovered the feature in the beta code of the Google Messages app. The AI-enhanced features are not yet available and Assembler Debug states that it doesn’t seem to be working. However, according to leaked images, you can use Bard to write text messages, arrange a date, and compose a message calling in sick to your boss, among other difficult conversations.
Bard in Google Messages can also help translate conversations, identify images, and explore interests. The code suggests it can also provide book recommendations and recipe ideas.
Examination of the code shows that the app uses your location data and previous chat data to generate accurate responses. However, you can give feedback on Bard’s response with a thumbs up or down with a long press of the button, and copy, forward, and favorite the responses, letting the AI learn if the response was appropriate.
#GoogleMessagesBard in Google Messages!! Doesn’t seem to be working yet. #Google #Android #AI pic.twitter.com/aumaSzyQ6sJanuary 19, 2024
The project codename “Penpal” was noted in a beta version (20240111_04_RC00) of the Google Messages app. According to The insights from 9to5Google of the beta code, Bard can be accessed by selecting the “New Conversation” option, which allows you to select Bard as a standalone chat option.
You must be eighteen years old to use it, and conversations with Bard in the Messages app are not end-to-end encrypted or treated as private, unlike messages exchanged with your contacts. So you may want to avoid sending personal or sensitive messages through the app when Bard is enabled.
Google states that chat history will be retained for eighteen months to help Bard improve and can be reviewed by a human, but no information will be associated with your account after three years. Google recommends not saying anything to Bard that you don’t want others to see. Conversations with Bard may be reviewed by Google, but are not accessible to other users. However, you can delete your chat history with Bard at any time. Deleting the data takes 72 hours.
Echoes of Allo
The inclusion of Bard AI in the Messages app seems somewhat reminiscent of the previous Google Allo project, which integrated the Google Assistant into both standalone requests and chats. This service was discontinued in 2019, but was somehow able to survive thanks to this Bard integration.
When asked directly, Bard said, “While I can’t say for sure at this time, there are strong indications that I may become available through Google RCS messaging in the future.”
Bard subsequently said that the integration with Google Messages was tested in March 2023 and that the functionality aligns with Bard’s capabilities to process language, generate text and answer questions, and summarize information, making it a natural solution for improving messages.
The integration of AI into messaging apps reflects the eagerness of many companies to integrate AI technologies into their new smartphones, with Samsung’s Galaxy AI features being a recent example. However, Google is no stranger to AI tools in its phones, with features like Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur or Live Translate all part of Pixel devices.
The implications of adding AI to messages are also intriguing, meaning you may never know whether that thoughtful reply or fantastic date idea was created by a human or its AI assistant.
While Bard’s inclusion in Google’s messaging app is not yet available and no release date has been announced, Google could decide not to move forward with the project. Google could go the Samsung route and make its functionality subscription-based. However, this is all speculation at the moment and we’ll have to wait and see to see exactly how much Bard will change the Messages app in the future.