Just over two months ago, OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public, instantly thrusting the A.I.-powered chatbot into the center of mainstream discourse, with debates about how it could transform business, education and more. Now Google and the Chinese tech giant Baidu have unveiled their own chatbots, hoping to convince the world their efforts in so-called generative A.I. -- tech that can spout off conversational text, make images and more -- are just as ready for prime time. The service, which will be privately tested before being released more broadly soon, is based on technology that the company has been testing for months. It's Google's latest response to ChatGPT, whose success spurred the tech giant to declare a "code red" and rush out its own A.I.-powered offerings. Google's C.E.O., Sundar Pichai, made clear to employees in an internal memo, reviewed by CNBC, that Bard is now a top priority.