AdminThe explosion in popularity of the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT is something to be admired and feared (just a little), with more and more companies looking to incorporate it into their products as soon as possible. Meta and Twitter will likely be next in Silicon Valley Scramble for AI, and no one seems to be sure what that could mean for users.
We have already witnessed the so-called failures of Microsoft’s new ChatGPT-based Bing and how quickly Microsoft had to act to try to fix the problems the chatbot was facing. Many of the fixes that needed to be made centered around the way people interacted with Bing AI, “jailbreaking” the bot, getting inaccurate answers, and how the bot generally went crazy when confronted with its own existence. This is certainly relatable, but these are all problems that had to be dealt with quickly due to the rush with which the product was rolled out.
Without proper foresight, we are likely to continue to see numerous mistakes (and hasty fixes) because AI-based technology in the hands of the general public is unpredictable and sometimes divisive. Google employees are not fans its version, for example Google Bard.
So it’s a little worrying that the social media giants are starting to take an interest in this AI boom.
Twitter is apparently considering implementing AI on the platform, developing an alternative to ChatGPT. Late last year, Twitter CEO Elon Musk criticized OpenAI – the creators of ChatGPT – for introducing security features that would prevent the chatbot from generating responses that could offend users.
The danger of training an AI to wake up – in other words, lying – is deadlyDecember 16, 2022
This included the bot repeating racist slurs, sexist ideologies, or creating inappropriate content. Musk called ChatGPT’s security measures “an AI training to wake up,” which, while bizarre, could give us a glimpse of what his rival chatbot might look like.
Musk reportedly recruited Igor Babuschkin, a researcher who recently left the DeepMind AI unit of patent firm Google Alphabets and specializes in machine learning models that power chatbots like ChatGPT. We’re not sure exactly how AI could be injected into Twitter, but previous comments from Musk denouncing OpenAI’s “awakening” limitations raise concerns that its implementation could be offensive, derogatory, and downright toxic.
Facebook has joined the chat
Twitter isn’t the only social media platform watching AI. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg post (opens in a new tab) announces the creation of a new group at Meta (Facebook’s parent company) that will focus on “generative AI” to improve its products.
There seems to be an emphasis on creating your own AI-powered tools in the short term (probably similar to what Microsoft and Google are trying to do), and in the long term more elaborate weaving of AI into Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram. For ChatGPT and AI skeptics, this unfortunately means that few social media platforms will be safe from the clutches of rushing AI.
Zuckerberg’s announcement is a little vague, but some examples we’ve received include creative filters and ad formats on Instagram, and improved text features in Whatsapp and Messenger. Zuckerberg admits there’s a lot of “basic work” to do before any of these features roll out, giving us hope that they might be more thoughtful than their predecessors.
One thing is for sure: it may be harder to avoid the impact of AI for longer, and if there’s one silver lining here, we can only hope developers learn from their mistakes and mishaps and improve the contagious technology, not faster. ChatGPT with protective measures in place is still a wild beast that needs to be tamed at the best of times and is still prone to spewing out hateful language when “broken” or prompted the right way. The idea of Musk’s “anti-awakening” rhetoric spilling over into something as complex and unpredictable as AI technology merely represents a concern for the safety of users actively participating in the emerging tech realm of AI chatbots and those of us who are not. In their mad rush to do it faster and better, companies seem to have failed to consider how the technology will spill over to more general areas of the internet or spaces that aren’t designed for it.
It is hoped that these developers will develop useful tools that will benefit most users and stay true to their stated purpose, although we cannot be sure at this time and it may be more realistic to prepare for the worst and hope for the best strategy.
If we see more AI leaks into our social media spheres, we will need to focus more on promoting transparency and security for users who are not fully familiar with ChatGPT and its new versions, as well as those of us who are directly affected by the nonsense “anti-wake up” propaganda they may have to prepare for a turbulent time online.
