What to know
- Microsoft 365 Chat is a chat feature integrated into the suite of Microsoft 365 apps while Bard Extensions connect to your most-used Google services and bring them to the chatbot.
- Bard Extensions scan through your Google Workplaces apps like Gmail, Drive, and Docs, as well as pull information from YouTube, Maps, Google Flights, and Google Hotels.
- Microsoft 365 Chat specializes in deeper integration into Microsoft 365’s suite of apps to improve productivity and synchronization between team members to simplify day-to-day work.
- Bard Extensions are free to use while Microsoft 365 Chat, which is a part of Microsoft 365 Copilot, will cost $30 per month.
The battle for AI integration is heating up, yet. With the release of Bard Extensions and the announcement of Microsoft 365 Chat, the stage is all set for the final bout of the year. But what is the difference between Microsoft 365 Chat and Bard Extensions? On the surface, they both look to integrate AI further into their respective app suites. However, the differences between the two may outweigh their similarities.
The following guide will peg the Microsoft 365 Chat and Bard Extensions against each other to check out their features, how they’re intended to perform, and who will benefit from either one of these.
Microsoft 365 Chat vs. Google Bard Extensions
Even though Microsoft was the first to bring the AI chatbot to its platform, Google has slowly but surely crept back into the game with Bard. With Bard’s Extensions and Microsoft announcing Microsoft 365 Chat, it’s easy to consider the two to be the same AI feature offered by two competing giants. Yes, there are a variety of areas where the two overlap. But there are tons of differences that separate the two as well. So let’s consider the two head-to-head and see how you, the user, can benefit from them.
Bard Chat and Microsoft 365 Chat: What are they?
Bard Extensions is a feature within the chatbot that allows you to connect to a variety of Google’s most used services such as Gmail, YouTube, Docs, Drive, Maps, etc. that lets Bard pull information from them and deliver it to you in its response.
Microsoft 365 Chat, as the name suggests, is a chat feature that integrates Copilot into the suite of Microsoft 365 apps, like Teams, so that users can use it as an AI assistant for their everyday work tasks.
App integration, features, and purpose
The main idea behind Bard Extensions is the ability to get inside your most-used Google apps and find the information that you’re querying. The extensions can also quickly search for YouTube videos based on the keywords in your prompts to speed up your learning, as well as finding and booking flights and hotels with Google Flights and Google Hotels. With time, we might see more extensions integrated into other Google apps that further extend the capabilities of Bard.
On the other hand, Microsoft 365 Chat looks to facilitate collaboration with your colleagues and improve coordination with them through real-time communication. Unlike Bard’s Extensions which (currently) do not let you draft emails within Google’s apps – a capability that is exclusive to the chatbot itself – Microsoft 365 Chat integration is much tighter, ensuring that it is available within your Microsoft apps and productivity tools whenever you need help.
With Microsoft 365 Chat taking care of much of the drudgery of work – taking notes, finding emails and files, drafting from scratch – it is sure to free you up to attend to things that make up the core of your job.
It is easy to see now that Bard Extensions are geared more towards creativity, learning, text generation, and finding information that is already with your Google apps, while Microsoft 365 Chat is tuned towards collaboration within a team or an organization, simplifying work and aiming at the core deliverables of your project.
Availability and Price
Bard Extensions is already available within the Bard chatbot, that too for free. Unless Google’s policies shift drastically, we can assume it to remain free for the foreseeable future.
Microsoft 365 Chat is set to debut on the 1st of November 2023 and will be part of Microsoft 365 Copilot. It is slated to be priced at $30 per user, per month for Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Standard, and Business Premium customers.
How to choose which AI tool is right for you?
Choosing an AI tool over another comes down singularly to your needs. As cliched as it may sound, it’s a truism that still holds true. If you work within an organization or have team members on a project that requires tighter synchronization, having the assistance of Microsoft 365 Chat built into your daily apps might be preferable. It does come at a price but the results can soon offset the cost.
On the other hand, if you’re someone who requires creative assistance, need access to your files from your most-used Google apps quickly, and don’t want to spend on an AI tool, Bard Extensions should be your choice.
If you’re caught between the two and use both sets of app suites, it’s not much of a choice really thanks to Bard’s free offerings. You can go ahead with Microsoft 365 Copilot while simultaneously using Google Bard free of cost. Though the latter won’t be as integrative, the option is there whenever you need to use it.
FAQ
Let’s consider a few commonly asked questions about Bard Extension and Microsoft 365 Chat.
Does Microsoft 365 have a chat feature?
Yes, Microsoft 365 is soon coming out with a chat feature that will allow you to get the assistance of Copilot in all your Microsoft apps.
What is the difference between Google Bard and Microsoft 365 Copilot?
Both Google Bard and Microsoft 365 Copilot are AI-powered tools that enable users to be more productive and creative. Google Bard is geared more toward general tasks such as answering questions, generating text, learning, etc. while Copilot is much more specialized to help users improve productivity with Microsoft app integration. Though Bard is being integrated into Google’s services, it is basically still a standalone chatbot, whereas Copilot is more of an AI assistant integrated with Microsoft’s suite of apps.
Though the implementation of the two AI-powered large language models has much in common, anyone who manages to scratch past the surface will find their differences become apparent. We hope this guide helped you understand the features, purpose, price, and availability of both Microsoft 365 Chat and Bard Extensions. Until next time!
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