OpenAI’s ChatGPT seems to be getting to Google. Because it can provide users with the information they are looking for in a format that is easy to understand, the chatbot, which is powered by artificial intelligence, has taken the technology world by storm over the past few months. According to The New York Times, Google has changed its plans over the past few weeks because it sees ChatGPT as a threat to its search business.
According to the report, CEO Sundar Pichai has reportedly issued a “code red” and accelerated AI development. At least 20 AI-powered products and a chatbot for its search engine are expected to be shown off by Google in May, with some of them expected to debut at its I/O conference.
A tool for creating images, an improved version of AI Test Kitchen, an application used to test prototypes, a YouTube green screen mode modeled after TikTok, and a tool that can create videos that summarize other clips are among Google’s AI projects. A feature called Shopping Try-on, which may be similar to one that Amazon has been working on, a wallpaper maker for Pixel phones, and AI-driven tools that could make it easier for developers to create Android apps are also on the way.
Last month, Pichai reportedly invited Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin to meet with current leaders, discuss AI plans, and provide feedback. Since 2019, the duo has been concentrating on other projects, so they haven’t been very involved with the business on a daily basis.
It is claimed that Google has attempted to expedite product approval procedures, including checks to guarantee that AI-driven technology is ethical and fair. As it introduces such technology, the business is also said to be adjusting the risk levels it is willing to accept. It would appear that safety, accuracy, and preventing false information are top priorities for a demonstration of the search chatbot. The Times reported that Google, on the other hand, has “a lower bar and will try to curb issues relating to hate and toxicity, danger and misinformation rather than preventing them” for the other tools and products it is developing.
Google has recently been more cautious when announcing new products. According to reports, “copyright, privacy, and antitrust” were the primary threats posed by AI technology in the slide deck. It is said to have mentioned the need for solutions to prevent the sharing of personally identifiable information and copyright-protected content.
Google’s approach to AI ethics has drawn criticism over the past few years. Leading AI ethics researchers Margaret Mitchell and Timnit Gebru claimed that Google fired them. Gebru and Mitchell claimed that Google censored research that questioned AI language-learning models’ ability to encode biases in training data. The researchers wrote in a paper that this can lead to “models that encode stereotypical and derogatory associations along gender, race, ethnicity, and disability status.” False data can also be included in training datasets. After Gebru and Mitchell’s departures, two other prominent ethics researchers left Google in the early part of the previous year.
It’s easy to see why Google is said to be in a state of panic over ChatGPT. For example, earlier this month, reports suggested that Microsoft, an investor in OpenAI, intends to incorporate some of the ChatGPT technology into Bing. This week, the company said that ChatGPT would soon be integrated into the Azure OpenAI Service.
The most recent report on Google’s response to ChatGPT comes shortly after the company said it would be cutting 12,000 jobs. In a memo to employees, Pichai wrote, ” “I am confident about the huge opportunity in front of us thanks to the strength of our mission, the value of our products and services, and our early investments in AI,” Pichai wrote in a memo to staff. “To fully capture it, we’ll need to make tough choices.”
The CEO went on to say that the business is getting ready to present “some entirely new experiences for users, developers and businesses. We have a substantial opportunity in front of us with AI across our products and are prepared to approach it boldly and responsibly.”
