Google employees have slammed CEO Sundar Pichai and called the recent reveal of Bard, a large language model, a “botched” PR stunt. Some employees have expressed concerns about the potential risks of large language models, and they believe that Google should have been more transparent about Bard’s development.
The backlash against Pichai and Bard began on Monday, February 7, when Pichai gave a presentation about Bard at the company’s annual product conference. In the presentation, Pichai described Bard as “a new AI system that can generate text, translate languages, write different kinds of creative content, and answer your questions in an informative way.” He also said that Bard was “trained on a massive dataset of text and code,” and that it was “able to learn and improve over time.”
However, the presentation was met with skepticism from some Google employees. In a thread on the company’s internal forum, Memegen, employees expressed concerns about the potential risks of large language models. They pointed out that Bard could be used to generate fake news, spread misinformation, and create harmful content. They also expressed concern that Google was not being transparent about how Bard was developed and used.
The criticism of Pichai and Bard continued on Tuesday, February 8. In a blog post, Google employee Jeff Dean defended Bard, saying that it was “a powerful tool that can be used for good or for bad.” However, Dean also acknowledged that “there are risks associated with any new technology,” and that Google was “committed to working with the community to ensure that Bard is used responsibly.”
Despite Dean’s defense, the criticism of Pichai and Bard continued. On Wednesday, February 9, Google employees staged a walkout in protest of the company’s handling of Bard. The walkout was organized by a group of Google employees called “Googlers Against Forced Labor.” The group said that they were protesting the company’s decision to use Bard to generate content for its search engine. They argued that this could lead to the spread of misinformation and harmful content.
The backlash against Pichai and Bard has continued in the days since the walkout. In a recent interview, Pichai said that he was “listening to the feedback” from Google employees and that he was “committed to making sure that Bard is used responsibly.” However, he also said that he believed that Bard was a “powerful technology that can be used for good.”
The controversy surrounding Bard is a sign of the growing concerns about the potential risks of large language models. As these models become more powerful, it is important to ensure that they are used responsibly. Google is not the only company that is developing large language models. Other companies, such as Microsoft and OpenAI, are also working on these technologies. It is important for all companies that are developing large language models to be transparent about their work and to work with the community to ensure that these models are used responsibly.
The Impact of the Backlash
The backlash against Pichai and Bard has had a number of impacts. First, it has raised awareness of the potential risks of large language models. Second, it has put pressure on Google to be more transparent about its work on Bard. Third, it has led to calls for Google to develop guidelines for the responsible use of large language models.
It is still too early to say what the long-term impact of the backlash will be. However, it is clear that the controversy has highlighted the need for more careful consideration of the potential risks of large language models. It is also clear that Google and other companies that are developing these models need to be more transparent about their work and to work with the community to ensure that these models are used responsibly.
The Future of Large Language Models
The backlash against Bard is a setback for the development of large language models. However, it is not a sign that the field is doomed. There are still many companies and organizations that are committed to developing large language models, and there is a growing movement of AI ethicists and researchers who are working to ensure that large language models are used in a safe and ethical way.
The future of large language models is uncertain, but it is clear that they will be an important technology in the years to come. As AI becomes more powerful and widespread, it will be essential to ensure that large language models are used in a way that benefits society and does not harm individuals or groups.