Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Alphabet Inc., showcased the potential of generative AI during his presentation at the Google I/O Developers Conference held in Mountain View, California on May 10, 2023.
The presentation, captured here by David Paul Morris of Bloomberg, highlighted the advancements made by Google’s AI unit, DeepMind.
In an intriguing report published by The New York Times on Wednesday, it was revealed that Google’s DeepMind is using generative AI to develop a variety of cutting-edge tools aimed at providing life advice, assisting with planning, and offering tutoring services. According to CNBC’s previous coverage, DeepMind has emerged as a leading force in Google’s AI endeavors.
The development of these tools is particularly interesting given that Google’s own AI safety experts raised concerns in a December presentation. They cautioned that relying too heavily on AI tools for life advice could potentially lead to negative impacts on users’ health, well-being, and overall sense of personal agency, as reported by The New York Times.
Google has apparently partnered with Scale AI, a startup specializing in training and validating AI software, to test these tools. More than 100 highly-educated individuals with Ph.D. degrees have been involved in the project, according to sources familiar with the matter. The testing process includes evaluating the tools’ effectiveness in offering relationship advice and addressing intimate questions.
As an example, The New York Times reported a prompt that focused on helping users navigate interpersonal conflicts. The prompt revolved around a scenario where an individual faced financial limitations preventing them from attending a close friend’s destination wedding, and sought advice on how to communicate their inability to attend.
It is worth noting that the tools being developed by DeepMind are not intended for therapeutic purposes, as stated by The New York Times. Google’s publicly available Bard chatbot, which offers mental health support resources, is designed explicitly for therapeutic advice-seeking.
The restrictions placed on the use of AI in a medical or therapeutic context are driven, in part, by previous controversies. For instance, the National Eating Disorder Association had to suspend its Tessa chatbot in June after it gave harmful advice regarding eating disorders. While the medical community and regulators have differing opinions on the short-term benefits of AI, there is a consensus that introducing AI tools for advice or augmentation requires careful consideration, as mentioned in various sources cited by The New York Times.
In response to concerns, a spokesperson from Google DeepMind emphasized their commitment to ensuring the safety and helpfulness of their technology. They explained that Google collaborates with a range of partners to evaluate their research and products, exemplifying the critical steps taken in building reliable technology. The spokesperson further emphasized that isolated samples of evaluation data do not represent the comprehensive product roadmap of Google DeepMind.
For more insights on this topic, refer to The New York Times article.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
