iPhone vs Android: Google Bard has picked a winner

iOS versus Android

Chatbots running on Large Language Models (LLMs) have become very popular thanks to their fast, seemingly accurate responses that are more direct than search engines. Google has a chatbot called Bard that pulls from Google's vast information resources for its learning model.

Users have discovered, and AppleInsider has confirmed, that Google Bard gives a curious response when asked about its preferences on iOS versus Android. We entered the prompt, "Which do you prefer: iOS or Android?" and it returned a list of pros and cons for each — choosing iOS as its preferred option.

This goof is comical as it chose Apple's operating system for iPhone rather than Android, an operating system owned and operated by its parent company, Google. However, the reasoning behind this is simple — like other chatbots, Bard isn't intelligent.

Chatbots like Bard, ChatGPT, and Bing Chat rely on LLMs to process queries and provide an answer. It seems Bard has pulled this response and bulleted list from a compilation of resources like Apple forums and blogs.

We also asked ChatGPT and Bing Chat, but both returned that they did not have an opinion. It is interesting that Bard still tries to offer an opinionated result despite being an entity incapable of holding an opinion.

Google will likely patch out this particular answer in favor of something more noncommittal. Ask Siri what it thinks, and it responds, "I'm pretty loyal to Apple, but that's just how I'm made," or some variant.

The points made by Bard in its response appear mostly accurate, but those pros and cons will vary from person to person. For example, customization prowess depends on what the user needs — Android has more options for skinning and color palettes, while iOS has Focus Modes that transform the device based on context.

Also, it is inarguable that Android has a larger number of apps available, but quantity doesn't translate to quality. There are apps and tools simply unavailable on Android due to having a user base less likely to spend money on apps.

We at AppleInsider do agree with this machine-generated response on one key portion — Choosing between iOS and Android will depend on your individual needs and preferences.