March 21 (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google on Tuesday began the public release of its chatbot Bard, seeking users and feedback to gain ground on Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) in a fast-moving race on artificial intelligence technology. Starting in the U.S. and UK, consumers can join a waiting list for English-language access to Bard, a program previously open to approved testers only. Google describes Bard as an experiment allowing collaboration with generative AI, technology that relies on past data to create rather than identify content. The release last year of ChatGPT, a chatbot from the Microsoft-backed startup OpenAI, has caused a sprint in the technology sector to put AI into more users' hands. The hope is to reshape how people work and win business in the process.