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It's looking like Google may make you pay for Bard's most powerful tier
- Lines of code suggest that Bard Advanced is coming with a three-month free trial.
- It would appear that Google is planning on charging for the Bard Advanced.
- The lines of code also suggest Bard Advance could be a part of Google One.
In December, Google announced it would launch a more advanced version of Bard in early 2024. Although we still don’t have a release date, there are hints that Bard Advanced may end up being a paid tier.
Spotted by developer and cybersecurity enthusiast Bedros Pamboukian, there appear to be lines of code on the Bard website that suggest Bard Advance will come with a three-month free trial. This would suggest that Google may be planning to make Bard’s most powerful tier a paid subscription when it comes out.
hi, bard advanced will be free for 3 months and you’ll need Google One too, enjoysiesthe fact that it’s in prod implies it’s ready & being tested (currently an experiment)again, not a leaker, but Google keeps putting stuff in plain sight and literally nobody realizes… pic.twitter.com/YqfAK77f0F— Bedros Pamboukian (@bedros_p) January 3, 2024
On top of the free trial, a defunct Google One link (https://one.google.com/explore-plan/bard-advanced) was also found. It’s unclear what the connection between Bard Advanced and Google One is, but it’s possible the paid tier could be part of Google One. It’s also possible Bard Advanced could be a standalone tier within the service.
As the X (formerly Twitter) user points out, the chatbot is likely being tested by Google right now. As such, it may not be much longer before Bard Advanced rolls out.
Google announced Bard Advanced at the same time as its Gemini AI model rollout in December. There are currently three versions of Gemini: Nano, Pro, and Ultra. Nano is designed to be a mobile-friendly version of the AI model, while Pro is the version that currently powers Bard. Ultra is scheduled to launch early this year, and will be the model that powers Bard Advanced.