The Google AI-powered chatbot, Bard, can now help users with programming tasks, thanks to its newly acquired capability to generate, debug, and explain code. The search engine giant noted that coding was among the top requests of its users, and now Bard can write code in 20 programming languages, including C++, Java, JavaScript, and Python.
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In addition, the chatbot features integration with other Google products and can export code to Colab, Google’s cloud-based notebook environment for Python, and help users write functions for Sheets.
Aside from code generation, Bard can also provide explanations for code snippets, which can be particularly useful for programming beginners. It shows users why a particular block has the output it has. Furthermore, Bard can help users debug code that isn’t working as intended.
However, Google warns that Bard may sometimes generate incomplete code or code that doesn’t produce the expected output. It is, therefore, important for users to double-check and test the chatbot’s responses before using them. Additionally, if users find that the generated code has errors, they can type in “this code didn’t work, please fix it,” and Bard will debug its own output.
Google opened access to Bard earlier this year, though it still has a long way to go to reach the level of popularity of other chatbots like ChatGPT. It was inevitable that Google would give Bard the ability to write and improve existing code in several programming languages since ChatGPT can already perform such tasks.
Google has been consistently upgrading Bard, with recent improvements powered by PaLM, a new language model. The company even created an “experiment updates” page to document all the changes made to Bard as it continues to add more features and fix bugs.
In conclusion, Bard’s new capability to help with programming tasks will be welcomed by beginners and experienced programmers alike. While it may have some limitations, it can generate code in several programming languages and can also help users debug and optimize their code. As Google continues to improve Bard, it could become a valuable tool for developers around the world.
