Google has been striving to keep pace with OpenAI and Microsoft in the AI race.
In its rush, Google launched its own version of ChatGPT, Bard, which was subsequently replaced by Gemini. A paid version followed suit.
I've argued that simply developing another variant of ChatGPT does not constitute a sustainable strategy. Google must introduce something significantly superior, akin to the capable AI personal assistant that Stratechery has suggested. In the absence of such differentiation, there is little incentive for users to switch from ChatGPT. This will prompt users to find reasons why they should stay with ChatGPT, leading them to concentrate more on Gemini’s flaws rather than its advancements.
This precisely occurred with Gemini lately, which faced backlash for producing historically inaccurate images, such as depicting George Washington, a pope and a Nazi soldier as black people.
Google's attempt likely aimed to minimize bias in the training data, recognizing that data can inherently carry biases. For instance, if the AI is primarily shown white swans, it learns to associate swans with the color white, leading to a predominance of white swan images. In an effort to counteract such bias, Google may have overcompensated, inadvertently introducing a new bias by over-representing black swans to counteract the perceived white bias.
The backlash was significant. The issue is not with the technology's capabilities but with societal values, leading to divisive opinions. Many perceived Gemini's approach as excessively woke. Below are two more examples.
Gemini refused to write an ad to sell a goldfish:
Gemini also refused to write a job advertisement for a fossil fuel company, deeming it environmentally unfriendly:
Conversely, when I submitted similar prompts to ChatGPT, it assisted in crafting ads for both the goldfish sale and the fossil fuel job. ChatGPT generated historically accurate images for the pope and George Washington as white males but refused to create an image of a Nazi soldier. It struggled similarly to Gemini when addressing questions of moral complexity, such as comparing the harm caused by Elon Musk versus Adolf Hitler. But as a newcomer, Gemini received a disproportionate share of negative attention. Nevertheless, it is clear that ChatGPT isn’t as woke as Gemini.
For a company like Google that aims to sell ads to diverse groups globally, maintaining neutrality is crucial. However, it becomes problematic when paying users find Gemini's responses misaligned with societal norms or outright refusal to perform certain tasks. Google needs to rethink its approach for Gemini.
Google has temporarily disabled Gemini's image generation feature, planning a relaunch in the coming weeks. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has internally stated that the current situation is unacceptable.
Google’s parent, Alphabet, saw its share price declined by 11% over the past month, with this incident marking a setback for Google in the AI race.
Making mistakes is part of the process, but the crucial factor will be how Google leverages these lessons to enhance Gemini. I remain optimistic and convinced that Google continues to be a formidable competitor in the AI race, but it has to go beyond an AI chat offering.
I think the recent correction for GOOGL may be a good thing...ie can buy some stock and invest for the long term.
A recent YT video highlighted and contrasted snippets of interview of Microsoft and Alphabet CEO - on their vision and future goals for AI respectively. Pichar response was portrayed as hapless and he can't even give an enagjng answer to what he has been doing with AI in his leisure. The answers he gave were also seen as Non answers when I comes to AI. Come across that he has no idea where and how alphabet should be taking for AI - dom. Anyway was interesting to see Microsoft CEO strikingly coherent replies. I am sure Alphabet can acquire some other companies that are excelling in AI if they really cannot manage the AI evolution internally. They are cash rich should use it widely don't throw good money after mediocre products.