Google Bard can now write code in over 20 programming languages

Google’s Bard chatbot has been playing catch up with Microsoft’s Bing Chat since it first launched as public “experiment” one month ago today. Today, Google announced a major new update for Bard, as it can now generate programming code with text prompts.

In a blog post, Google states:

Starting now, Bard can help with programming and software development tasks, including code generation, debugging and code explanation. We’re launching these capabilities in more than 20 programming languages including C++, Go, Java, Javascript, Python and Typescript. And you can easily export Python code to Google Colab — no copy and paste required. Bard can also assist with writing functions for Google Sheets.

The new feature also lets users get explanations from Bard about the code it has created, and it can also help debug both existing code and code that Bard itself has generated. Google says it will even cite the source of any code that comes from an open-source project. As usual, the company has put in a disclaimer that says Bard could generate some mistakes in its code creations.

Of course, both ChatGPT and its cousin, Microsoft’s Bing Chat, have had the ability to generate code as well, but it now seems like Bard is closing the gap quickly in terms of its features.

Bard has also revealed a smaller update, stating it will now offer a “wider range of more distinct drafts”for people who want to use it to create text documents.