Google rolled out its AI-powered chatbot, Bard, across Europe and in Brazil on Thursday expanding its availability to hundreds of millions of users in more than 180 countries and territories, but none in Canada..On Thursday, Canada became one of only a few countries, alongside Russia and China, not to have access to Google’s Bard AI chatbot..Canadians trying to access the platform will see a message from Google, saying "Bard isn’t currently supported in your country. Stay tuned!".A Google spokesperson indicated Bard is not available in Canada due the company's stand-off with the Liberal government's over-regulation..“We’re committed to being good partners as we work through regulatory uncertainty in Canada, and we’re enthusiastic about bringing Bard’s generative AI potential to Canadians soon," the spokesperson said when asked why Canada was left out..Google launched Bard in February, but its planned rollout last month in the EU was delayed as regulators checked whether the service complied with the 27-nation bloc’s strict privacy rules..Google said Bard can now be used in more than 40 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, German, Hindi and Spanish..Generative-AI chatbots such as Bard and ChatGPT use artificial intelligence and interact with the user conversationally..Users outside of Canada can ask the bots for help with tasks such as writing a cover letter, planning a trip or producing a research paper..In December 2022, the feds passed a bill mandating that social media platforms share a portion of news-related ad revenues with online publishers. Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez called it one part of his plan to “build a safer” internet..“The Online News Act is one piece of a large and complex puzzle that aims to build a safer, more inclusive and more competitive internet for all Canadians,” Rodriguez told the Commons in Third Reading debate. “I have spoken with my G7 colleagues about all of this and I can say one thing: The whole world is watching Canada right now.”.According to Blacklock's Reporter, Bill C-18 the Online News Act would compel Google and Facebook to pay newsrooms a portion of ad revenues generated by linked stories. The bill would also grant publishers an exemption from federal anti-trust law in negotiating secret revenue settlements with social media companies..READ MORE: WATCH: Trudeau says gov’t ‘not backing down’ on suspending Facebook, Instagram ads.Recently, the Trudeau government said it is pulling its advertising from Facebook and Instagram as negotiations heat up over C-18 the Online News Act..Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez made the announcement..“Facebook has decided to be unreasonable, irresponsible and started blocking news. This is why today we are announcing the Government of Canada will be suspending advertising on Facebook and Instagram,” said Rodriguez..Rodriguez said that the federal government spends around $10 million on Facebook and Instagram advertising.
