Google Bard introduces "Human reviewers," sparking privacy concerns

Nov 8, 2023 ·

Google Bard, the popular voice-to-text translation service, has recently added a new feature – human reviewers. Google states that these reviewers may listen to or read conversations between users. The company encourages users to not enter any sensitive information while using Google Bard.

Google Bard was initially launched in late 2021 and quickly became a popular app used by millions of people around the world. Its main purpose is to provide real-time transcription of spoken conversations. It currently supports over 30 languages and can be used on almost any device.

The addition of human reviewers is part of Google's efforts to ensure accuracy and quality of transcripts generated by the app. According to Google, these reviewers are qualified professionals who are trained to review and correct errors made by the automated transcription system. These reviewers have access to the content of conversations, although they do not know the identity of the users involved.

Google also advises users to not enter any sensitive information while using Google Bard as it may be seen by human reviewers. This includes passwords, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, home addresses, and other personal information. Google recommends that if users wish to share this type of information, they should use encrypted messaging services such as Signal or WhatsApp.

Overall, the addition of human reviewers to Google Bard is a step in the right direction. It will help to improve the accuracy and quality of the transcription service, while still protecting the privacy of users. However, users should still be aware that their conversations may be listened to or read by someone else, and should avoid entering any sensitive information while using Google Bard.