Google Bard's first costly error shows AI chatbots aren't yet ready for prime time

Date:
Thu, 09 Feb 2023 12:18:19 +0000

Description:
Google's AI-assisted search engine tool has made an embarrassing blunder here's why it matters.

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It hasnt been a great week for Google. Not only did the companys
mistake-laden 'Live from Paris' event fail to live up to expectations, its highly anticipated new AI chatbot tool, Bard , has made a factual error in a demo video that was intended to show off the softwares impressive capabilities.

The blunder which sent Googles market value tumbling by $100 billion saw Bard incorrectly respond to a user who asked: What new discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope can I tell my 9 year old about? In the clip, the chatbot answers with a series of bullet points, including one that reads:
JWST took the very first pictures of a planet outside of our own solar
system.

NASA, however, claims that the first image of such a planet, called an exoplanet, was captured by the European Southern Observatorys Very Large Telescope in 2004. In other words, Bard got the query wrong, raising concerns about the softwares future integration into Google Search. Bard is an experimental conversational AI service, powered by LaMDA. Built using our large language models and drawing on information from the web, its a
launchpad for curiosity and can help simplify complex topics https://t.co/fSp531xKy3 pic.twitter.com/JecHXVmt8l February 6, 2023 See more

In essence, Bard is Googles answer to the Microsoft-backed ChatGPT an "experimental conversational AI service" that promises to be able to answer complex questions in an informal style. The software is powered by LaMDA (short for Language Model for Dialogue Applications), which, like ChatGPT, allows Bard to understand human language as its written.

But where Microsoft looks to be pressing full-steam ahead with its
redesigned, AI-powered Bing search engine , Google isnt being so hasty with its full-scale integration of Bard into Google Search and for good reason.

In response to Bards very public blunder, Google gave the following statement to CNN : This [error] highlights the importance of a rigorous testing
process, something that were kicking off this week with our Trusted Tester program. Well combine external feedback with our own internal testing to make sure Bards responses meet a high bar for quality, safety and groundedness in real-world information.

Its clear, then, that Google is downplaying the real-world viability of AI-powered search engines for now. The company is still describing Bard as an "experimental service, and the disclaimer underneath the programs search box (see below) suggests that it may give inaccurate or inappropriate
information, as it did in the case of the aforementioned James Webb Space Telescope query. (Image credit: Google) Analysis: Is Microsoft jumping the gun?

Microsoft, on the other hand, is turning up the heat on Google by releasing its AI-powered Bing to the masses heres how to use the new Bing search
engine powered by ChatGPT , if youre interested when the program might not yet be ready for real-world use. (Image credit: Future)

But Google has more to lose than Microsoft in this AI battle. On average, Google plays host to almost 90% of global search queries, where Bing caters
to just under 10%. Microsoft is clearly hoping its rapid integration of ChatGPT into Bing will bump up that market-share figure before Google has a chance to respond with the full-scale rollout of its own Bard program.

Google, though, is clearly hesitant to pull the trigger on Bard if the softwares integrity isnt watertight an error-prone Bard would undermine the integrity of Google Search as a whole.

Well be reporting on all the latest developments in the ongoing tussle
between Google and Microsoft in the coming weeks, so stay tuned to TechRadar for more.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/google-bards-first-costly-error-shows-ai-chatbo ts-arent-yet-ready-for-prime-time


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