Google Bard is Now Generally Available in 180 Countries - But not Europe or Canada

By Corporal Punishment

Have you ever wanted to write like Shakespeare but without the hassle of learning iambic pentameter and Elizabethan English?

Well, now you can, thanks to Google Bard, the latest feature of Google Cloud AI. Currently, in the experimental stage (beta), Google Bard is a natural language generation service based on the LaMDA family of large language models that can create poetic texts in various styles and genres, from sonnets to limericks, haikus to rap lyrics and well as any traditional type of document. Bard can also easily do more complicated tasks, like writing PHP functions....and it's FAST!

Below, you can find a sonnet that Bard composed about MajorGeeks.

You only need to provide keywords or a topic; Google Bard will do the rest. Whether you want a funny, romantic, or dramatic style, you can customize your text's tone, length, and format. You can then export the output to Google Docs or Gmail or copy the text.

Until recently, Bard's access was limited. However, Google Bard is now available for all Google Cloud customers in 180 counties with no waitlist. So you can start using it today and unleash your inner creative geek. However, Bard is NOT available in the EU or Canada. So we asked Bard why?

Google has not officially stated why Bard is not available in Europe, but it is likely due to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR is a set of regulations that govern how personal data can be collected and used by businesses. It is one of the strictest data protection laws in the world, and it applies to all businesses that operate in the European Union.
Bard is a large language model, and it collects and uses a lot of personal data. This data includes the text that you input into Bard, as well as the text that Bard generates. If Bard were to be made available in Europe, Google would need to comply with the GDPR. This would require Google to take a number of steps, such as:

Obtaining consent from users before collecting their personal data

Providing users with access to their personal data

Allowing users to delete their personal data

Securing personal data against unauthorized access

Google has not yet said when it plans to make Bard available in Europe. However, the company has said that it is working to comply with the GDPR. Once Google has complied with the GDPR, it is likely that Bard will be made available in Europe.

In addition to the GDPR, there may be other factors that are delaying the availability of Bard in Europe. For example, Google may need additional licenses or certifications to operate Bard in these countries.

So... There are some privacy implications there.

We also wouldn't necessarily believe everything Bard says, as even Google employees have called Bard a pathological liar - but it's fun, and it writes a lovely sonnet. To learn more about Google Bard, log into your Google account, visit bard.google.com, and type something. It's that easy.