Google ends contract with Australian AI data firm that’s helped train Bard

Google has ended its contract with Appen, an Australian data firm that trained its language model AI tools used in Bard, Search, and other products.

“Our decision to end the contract was made as part of our ongoing effort to evaluate and adjust many of our supplier partnerships across Alphabet to ensure our vendor operations are as efficient as possible,” Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini was quoted as saying by The Verge.

Mencini further stated that Google is working closely with Appen to make the transition “as smooth as possible.”