--- title: "Chaos Inside Google as Execs Try to Figure Out How to Actually Use AI" description: "According to a report from CNBC, the Google-built Bard is a total and complete mess, and no one really seems to know what to actually do with the AI tech." date: "2023-03-07" modified: "2023-03-07" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/chaos-google-execs-use-for-ai" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Google" tags: - "ai" - "artificial intelligence" - "bard" - "Google" --- # Chaos Inside Google as Execs Try to Figure Out How to Actually Use AI ![According to a report from CNBC, the Google-built Bard is a total and complete mess, and no one really seems to know what to actually do with the AI tech.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* Quick [pulse check]() on Google's Bard: [according to a report from *CNBC*](), the whole project is a total and complete mess — and no one seems to know what to actually do with the tech. To recap, Bard is Google's search-integrated, AI-powered chatbot, which was [billed]() as a competitor to Microsft's OpenAI tech-powered Bing Search just a few weeks ago. But Google [seriously fumbled]() the feature's launch, with the bot's first advertisement accidentally showcasing the bot's inability to find and present accurate information to users. Google's stock nosedived as a result, leading the company to lose [$100 billion]() in a day. Now, Google seems to be reworking its AI strategy. But according to *CNBC*, that strategy is growing increasingly muddled — as demonstrated by executives who, in an all-hands meeting that took place last Thursday, failed to effectively articulate what Bard is actually supposed to be. "Bard and ChatGPT are large language models, not knowledge models," one Googler asked execs. "They are great at generating human-sounding text, they are not good at ensuring their text is fact-based. Why do we think the big first application should be Search, which at its heart is about finding true information?" According to *CNBC*, Jack Krawczyk, Bard's project lead, responded with a curt: "I just want to be very clear: Bard is not search." "It's an experiment that's a collaborative AI service that we talked about," he added. "The magic that we're finding in using the product is really around being this creative companion to helping you be the sparkplug for imagination, explore your curiosity, etc." Reading between the lines, Krawczyk's extremely confusing statement suggests Google is moving away from advertising Bard primarily as a way to assist during web searches. But that very important marketing detail aside, Krawczyk's *very* roundabout response to what appears to be a pretty straightforward question appears to be indicative of Google's real problem: regardless of the fact that no one's tech was or is really ready for mass consumption, OpenAI and Microsoft beat Google to the punch. In short, Google fumbled badly [in its effort to catch up]() and the roads to short-term recovery as well as long-term success are equally unclear. "Launching AI seems like a knee-jerk reaction without a strategy," another Googler expressed during the all-hands, according to *CNBC*. "I disagree with the premise of this question," Google CEO Sundar Pichai reportedly responded. "We are deeply working on AI for a long time. You are right in the sense that, we have to stay focused on users and make sure we are building things which are impactful." "It's an intense time," Pichai said elsewhere in the meeting, according to the report. We're sure it is. **READ MORE:** [*Google execs tell employees in testy all-hands meeting that Bard AI isn't just about search*]() \[*CNBC*\] **More on Google choices:** [*Google Chairman Admits It's Pushing AI to Market Before It's "Really Ready"*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()