In the past few months, OpenAI’s ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot has set off a storm in the industry, and this seems to have caused a lot of pressure on Google, a heavy player in the field of AI. According to the New York Times, Google has regarded ChatGPT as a major threat to its search business and has adjusted several ongoing plans in the past few weeks. In the face of ChatGPT, the company CEO Sundar Pichai is said to have issued a “red alert”, asking the team to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence products. Google may display at least 20 new search engine-related AI products and a chat robot this year, some of which will be unveiled at the I/O conference in May.
According to briefings seen by sources, Google’s ongoing AI initiatives include image-generating tools, an updated AI Test Kitchen (for testing prototypes), a TikTok-style green screen mode for YouTube, video highlight-generating software, Shopping try-on apps, automatic wallpaper generators for Pixel phones, AI-powered tools for Android app development, and more. According to reports, Pichai also specially invited Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin to return to the company to meet with the current leadership last month to review the AI plan and provide advice (the two have not been involved in the company’s daily affairs since 2019).
In addition, Google has tried to speed up the product approval process (such as tests for technical fairness and ethics), and adjusted the level of risk the company can take when introducing new technologies. Their chatbot in the pipeline will prioritize safety, accuracy, and the ability to filter out misinformation. Compared to other products in development, it will have “relatively lower standards” and “will be more focused on preventing it than preventing it from Curb issues related to hate, toxicity, danger and misinformation”. In addition, the briefing also mentioned “copyright, privacy and antitrust” as the main risks faced by AI technology, and pointed out that solutions are needed to deal with copyrighted materials and prevent personally identifiable information from being shared.
It is worth mentioning that Alphabet, which has just experienced 12,000 layoffs, has made it clear that it will focus on AI next, and Pichai claims to provide users, developers and businesses with “some new experiences.”