Bard: the Google chatbot bug that caused the company a loss of US $ 100,000 million

Google is looking for ways to show people that it’s still ahead in the race for the best AI technology.

But so far, the tech giant seems to be giving the wrong answer.

An ad designed to introduce its new AI chatbot, called Bard, shows how it incorrectly answers a query.

Shares of parent company Alphabet plunged more than 7% on Wednesday, wiping out $100 billion of the company’s market value.

In Bard’s promo, which went live on Twitter on Monday, the chatbot was asked what to tell a 9-year-old boy about the discoveries of the James Webb Space Telescope.

Bard countered that the telescope was the first to take images of a planet outside our solar system, when in fact that milestone was claimed by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in 2004, a mistake that was quickly noted by astronomers in Twitter.

“Why didn’t you check this example before sharing it?” Chris Harrison, a researcher at Newcastle University, wrote in a tweet.

Investors were also disappointed by a presentation the company made about its plans to implement artificial intelligence in its products.

Google has been under pressure since late last year, when OpenAI, with support from Microsoft, introduced the new ChatGPT software.

He quickly became a viral hit for his ability to pass business school exams, compose song lyrics, and answer other questions.

Microsoft said this week that a new version of its Bing search engine, which has lagged behind Google for years, will use ChatGPT technology in an even more advanced way.

Fear of possible mistakes

Although investors have embraced the boost from artificial intelligence, skeptics warn that rushing the technology increases the risks of errors or biased resultsas well as plagiarism issues.

A Google spokesperson noted that the bug highlights “the importance of a rigorous testing process, something we’re starting this week with our Trusted Tester program.”

“We will combine external feedback with our own internal testing to ensure that Bard’s responses meet a high level of quality, security, and robustness to real-world information,” he added.

Last month, Alphabet cut 12,000 jobs, about 6% of its global workforce, amid layoffs at several major tech giants. (YO)