Google’s ChatGPT (Bard) is now available in 180 countries, without having to register on a waiting list. Although this AI is still experimental, curious Internet users are scrambling to try it. Yes, but here it is… among the 180 countries where it is available, we do not find France. France and all other European Union countries will still have to wait to use Google Bard.
Are you like us and don’t want to wait several weeks or months? In this case, read the following tutorial to find out how to access Google Bard from France now.
Why is Bard not accessible in France?
As mentioned in the introduction and during Google’s official presentation, Bard is available in 180 countries. What the American giant forgot to mention is that AI is not available to member countries of the European Union.
If you try to access Google Bard in France, you will come across the following message:
Note that this also applies to Internet users based in Canada.
What is the reason for this unavailability?
The official answer provided by Google France to our colleagues from Le Parisien is as follows: “We are working closely with experts and policy makers to ensure that Bard is in line with local requirements”.
For simplicity, this decision is certainly related to the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and draft European law on artificial intelligence (IA Act) which is currently being debated.
Also, the fact of having seen ChatGPT being blocked in a country like Italy must have dissuaded the company from deploying its AI now in the European Union.
Should we therefore give up on the use of Google Bard in France? Absolutely not. We will show you a trick to bypass this restriction.
In which countries can I use Google Bard?
Before presenting our tip to you, it is important to know the countries in which it is possible to use Google’s AI.
Some of the most notable countries include: the United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Israel, India, the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, or even Mexico…
You can find the complete list of countries where it is possible to use Google Bard here.
Note that currently it is possible to use Google Bard in three languages:
Why is it important to know the countries in which it is possible to use Bard? Because we will use this information to access it from France (or any other country where AI is not yet accessible).
VPN: the solution to the problem
In order to control access to its AI, Google implements what is called a geo-restriction.
To do this, the company uses the information shared by the IP address of Internet users. Effectively, your IP address allows any site to know where you are approximately at the moment t.
The proof in pictures:
To use Google Bard in France, you will therefore have to hide your IP address (and the location linked to it) and simulate your presence elsewhere.
The best way to do this is to use a VPN. This is indeed the solution preferred by the vast majority of Internet users when it comes to changing IP and location.
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