Horrified by ChatGPT, Google is about to launch up to 20 new AI products, inviting both founders who have been “hidden” to return

According to a new report from the New York Times, the recent launch of ChatGPT really shocked Google and sent out a company-wide alarm. The new report shows that Google is planning to “show off a chatbot-powered version of its search engine this year” and reveals more than 20 other projects using artificial intelligence.

Earlier in December 2022, many sources said, at the time, Google leaders were also concerned that deploying AI technologies too quickly could damage the company’s reputation – despite their major investment in that area. But things have changed so quickly since ChatGPT launched.

Yesterday, Google announced plans to lay off more than 12,000 of its employees in various departments to focus AI technology as it is an area of ​​prime importance.

There is no specific timeframe mentioned for the launch of a demo for the AI-powered search engine, but the Times report suggests that other projects are scheduled to launch during the annual I/O event. of Google in May, which was previously expected to be the time to launch products like Duplex and Google Glass.

The situation is so urgent that the Times report shows that the founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin – who have been “hidden” for a long time despite still holding a controlling stake in parent company Alphabet – have had to go back and “give advice” to Google executives, approving plans and approving ideas during a meeting with company leaders about ChatGPT last month. It shows how important this event is when these two founders have left the daily direction from 2019 to now.

The demo for Google’s chatbot-integrated search engine says it will prioritize “providing facts that are accurate, secure, and eliminating misinformation” in the hope of solving the problem of AI responding. overconfident queries and may give false information. Meanwhile, they are also working on ways to speed up the review process and check to see if it works in a fair and ethical manner.

The newly launched AI products will include an image production studio that can “create and edit images”, an application for testing product prototypes, and a set of tools to help developers companies can use to create AI prototypes right in the browser called MakerSuite.

The company also developed a code generation tool called PaLM-Coder 2, similar to Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot software or Colab + Android Studio software to help build smartphone applications. The products are expected to be presented by Jeff Dean, who runs the company’s AI and research division.

In recent years, Google has always been cautious when it comes to launching new AI products. The company found itself at the center of a debate about AI ethics after firing two researchers in the field – Timnit Gebru and Margaret Mitchell – when they criticized the company’s AI language models. tends to amplify biases in the training data and turn misinformation into facts.

Even so, with ChatGPT launching and generating alarming warnings of an impending doom for Google, it seems the company has had to change its tactics. In the past, Google often avoided launching AI products out of fear of “reputational damage,” but now it seems they don’t want to carry someone’s reputation behind its time.

Refer to The Verge, New York Times