Following September's Search Generated Experience (SGE), Google is rolling out "Bard" access for teens, with security measures in place. Starting this Thursday, it will be available in "most countries around the world." It will be available exclusively to users who "meet the minimum age requirement to manage their own Google account" and set it up in English, with more languages to come over time.
Bard has been trained to "identify areas that are inappropriate for younger users." Safety features are set up to "prevent unsafe content, such as illegal or age-restricted substances, from appearing in responses to teens."
When a teen first asks a fact-based question, Google will run a double-check reply feature that "helps evaluate whether there is content on the web that corroborates Bud's response." Bard will actively and continuously advise them to use double-checking and "help them develop information literacy and critical thinking skills."
The purpose of this is to raise awareness of the possible hallucinations of large language models (LLMs), something Google plans to bring to all new Bard users.
Visit the GoogleBard blog to learn more:
https://blog.google/products/bard/google-bard-expansion-teens/
In addition, Google will provide teens with a "tailored hands-on experience" that links to an AI literacy guide, a video with "tips on how to use generative AI responsibly," and an "overview of how to use Bard activities," with on/off options.
Google said it "consulted with child safety and development experts to help shape our content policies and safety-first experiences," such as the Family Online Safety Institute.
For this audience, Bard is specifically positioned as a way to "find inspiration, discover new hobbies, and solve everyday problems." For example, they can ask Bard for writing skills for a class president's speech, advice on applying to college, or learn how to play various sports.
One of the more interesting use cases is as a learning tool that can explain complex concepts in a conversational way. In terms of new features in this release, Bard now lets users enter or upload mathematical formulas to get step-by-step explanations (like Lens) and answers.
Bard can now also generate charts based on tables or data mentioned in prompts. "...such as when a teenager asked Bard to create a bar chart showing how many hours they had volunteered over several months."