ChatGPT, OpenAI’s recently launched conversational bot which can write clear, simple sentences has become the talk of the town lately. Despite being in the test-only preview phase, OpenAI's new ChatGPT has compelled CEO Sundar Pichai-led Google's management to issue a "code red.” The company may be on the verge of a technological shift that could completely transform it, a worry that permeates Silicon Valley and all things technological, reported The New York Times.
Even though ChatGPT has only been available to the public for three weeks, the NYT report stated that despite occasionally producing harmful and false information, the bot has forced Google to create a rival in order to counter the "first serious threat to its main search business."
Since its public launch, the platform has received over a million visitors. ChatGPT, which was introduced in November, has gained notoriety for its aptitude for question-answering, writing, and problem-solving, similar to—and occasionally even superior to—humans. But it also has limitations and occasionally produces strange results.
In response to the perceived threat posed by ChatGPT, according to The New York Times, Google CEO Sundar Pichai has organized a series of meetings to solidify the company's artificial intelligence strategy, resulting in changes within the organization. Employees have also been asked to create alternatives to technologies like DALL-E.
Notably, LaMDA, or Language Model for Dialogue Applications, is a working chatbot that Google already has that could compete with ChatGPT.
According to the report, teams from Google's research, Trust and Safety, and other divisions have been tasked with enhancing its search engine and developing fresh artificial intelligence (AI) prototypes and products, which may be unveiled at the upcoming Google IO event in May 2023.
Although Google's new situation seems straightforward on the surface, it actually has deeper roots than one might think because, even if chatbot technology advances, Google must still take into account the potential effects on its search ad revenue. This is because there might be less of an incentive for users to click on advertising links if chatbots can respond to user queries quickly. Google has a business model issue, according to Amr Awadallah, a former employee of Yahoo and Google who now runs a company called Vectara that is creating comparable technology. Users won't click on any ads if they respond flawlessly to every question.
According to The New York Times, a lot of experts think Google will adopt a strategy that is more "incremental" rather than a complete "overhaul." Furthermore, Google has been hesitant to widely disseminate its technologies, such as LaMDA, due to the possibility of producing unreliable, harmful, and biased information. LaMDA is currently only accessible to a small group of users through the experimental AI Test Kitchen app.
Microsoft also attempted to test its own AI-powered chatbot, Tay, but it was shut down in 2016 after it made offensive and racial remarks.