Google’s chief evangelist and “Father of the Internet” Vinton Cerf warned against rushing to invest in conversational AI just because it’s a “hot topic.” Writes about it CNBC.
“There is an ethical issue here that I hope some of you will consider. Everyone is talking about ChatGPT or Google’s version of it, but it doesn’t always work the way we would like it to,” he said.
Cerf cautioned against the temptation to invest just because the technology is “really cool.”
“If you’re thinking, ‘Dude, I can sell this to investors because this is a hot topic and everyone is going to throw money at me,’ don’t do it,” the scientist said.
He urged investors to be thoughtful. The problem with technology, he says, is people who “haven’t changed in the last 400 years.”
“They will seek to do what benefits them, not you. Therefore, we must remember this and think about how we use technology, ”Cerf said, apparently hinting at general human greed.
The scientist told how he once tried to ask one of the systems to add a smiley at the end of each sentence. The AI did not cope with the task, which Cerf pointed out to him. The chatbot apologized, but did not change its behavior.
“We are far from awareness or self-awareness,” he said of conversational AI.
According to the scientist, there is a gap between what the technology “says” and what it does.
“This is problem […]. You can’t tell the difference between an eloquent answer and an accurate one,” says Cerf.
He gave an example when he asked a chatbot to write a bio about himself. According to Cerf, the tool presented its answer as factual, although it contained inaccuracies.
From an engineering point of view, the scientist believes that developers should be responsible and try to reduce the harm from technology:
“Finding out how to minimize the worst-case potential is very important.”
His warning came as companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Google entered the chatbot race to stay competitive. They have the resources to rapidly improve a technology that is still prone to errors.
Alphabet chairman John Hennessy said conversational AI systems are still far from widespread use. Chatbots have many problems with inaccuracy and “toxicity” that need to be addressed before public testing, he added.
Recall that in February, the head of OpenAI, Sam Altman, called ChatGPT “a terrible product.”
In the same month, the Microsoft founder declared that conversational AI is the “major innovation” of modern times.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has warned of “terrible mistakes” made by ChatGPT.
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Google’s chief evangelist and “Father of the Internet” Vinton Cerf warned against rushing to invest in conversational AI just because it’s a “hot topic.” Writes about it CNBC.
“There is an ethical issue here that I hope some of you will consider. Everyone is talking about ChatGPT or Google’s version of it, but it doesn’t always work the way we would like it to,” he said.
Cerf cautioned against the temptation to invest just because the technology is “really cool.”
“If you’re thinking, ‘Dude, I can sell this to investors because this is a hot topic and everyone is going to throw money at me,’ don’t do it,” the scientist said.
He urged investors to be thoughtful. The problem with technology, he says, is people who “haven’t changed in the last 400 years.”
“They will seek to do what benefits them, not you. Therefore, we must remember this and think about how we use technology, ”Cerf said, apparently hinting at general human greed.
The scientist told how he once tried to ask one of the systems to add a smiley at the end of each sentence. The AI did not cope with the task, which Cerf pointed out to him. The chatbot apologized, but did not change its behavior.
“We are far from awareness or self-awareness,” he said of conversational AI.
According to the scientist, there is a gap between what the technology “says” and what it does.
“This is problem […]. You can’t tell the difference between an eloquent answer and an accurate one,” says Cerf.
He gave an example when he asked a chatbot to write a bio about himself. According to Cerf, the tool presented its answer as factual, although it contained inaccuracies.
From an engineering point of view, the scientist believes that developers should be responsible and try to reduce the harm from technology:
“Finding out how to minimize the worst-case potential is very important.”
His warning came as companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Google entered the chatbot race to stay competitive. They have the resources to rapidly improve a technology that is still prone to errors.
Alphabet chairman John Hennessy said conversational AI systems are still far from widespread use. Chatbots have many problems with inaccuracy and “toxicity” that need to be addressed before public testing, he added.
Recall that in February, the head of OpenAI, Sam Altman, called ChatGPT “a terrible product.”
In the same month, the Microsoft founder declared that conversational AI is the “major innovation” of modern times.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has warned of “terrible mistakes” made by ChatGPT.
Found a mistake in the text? Select it and press CTRL+ENTER
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