3 - 5 minute read
A March report from the New York Times revealed that two Google employees tried to stop the company from launching its AI chatbot competing with OpenAI. The employees specifically review Google’s AI products and they expressed their concerns regarding “inaccurate and dangerous statements” that could be generated by the technology. Following the same course of events, Microsoft employees and ethicists raised similar concerns as it launched its AI chatbot to be integrated into its Bing browser. They were concerned about the erosion of critical thinking, disinformation, and the degradation of the “factual foundation of modern society.”
Despite the voiced concerns, both chatbots were released in February and March by Microsoft and Google, respectively. They followed OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT-4 in November 2022. However, conversations surrounding the ethics and usage of these AI chatbots and image generators sparked up.
In conjunction with Google’s release of its “Bard” chatbot in March, Midjourney, an application that uses artificial intelligence to generate realistic images, discontinued its free trial to curb problematic deep fakes. Around the same time, an Australian media executive called for monetary compensation from ChatGPT and AI for the news it consumes. These reactions and concerns are all coming from the increasing exposure and use cases of the technology.
This history of events and concerns is something that investors in AI need to keep their eye on. Words such as “disinformation” and “erosion of critical thinking” are big concerns when it comes to the future of the industry. If AI continues to push the limits and boundaries of what it can and should do, these issues will continue to arise. As an investor, it is important to pay attention to these developments and choose assets that also take ethics into account. The fact that ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Microsoft faced backlash shows that even top-tier tech companies are now more focused on the ethical impact of their products. This means that investors should be keeping an eye out for similar businesses and products that are also focused on the ethical ramifications of their AI solutions.
The Future of AI Chatbots
While industry giants like Google and Microsoft are currently in the spotlight when it comes to the ethical implications of their AI chatbots, it is not only them who should be taking note. The increasing focus on these concerns is sure to trickle down to smaller companies who may not have the resources to develop products with ethical implications in mind. Starting from the ground up with ethical considerations in development ensures that in the future, these concerns will be less likely to arise.
The future of AI chatbots is still fairly unknown at this point, but the push for ethical consideration is evident. As society continues to be impacted by the advancements of technology, more and more people are beginning to scrutinize it. It is best for investors to keep their ear to the ground and listen for any murmurs of ethics issues and concerns surrounding the products they support. By doing so, they can ensure that they are making sound investment choices in the world of AI chatbots.
