ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools have recently received a bad rap, but Google appears to be attempting to serve up something more positive with its latest project: an AI that can offer beneficial life advise to those going through difficult circumstances.
According to a new story from The New York Times, Google has been testing its AI technology with at least 21 different tasks, including "life advice, ideas, planning instructions, and tutoring tips." The work encompasses both professional and personal issues that users may face.
It’s the result of Google merging its DeepMind research lab with its Brain AI team and is “indicative of the urgency of Google’s effort to propel itself to the front of the AI pack,” the report states.
According to one example cited in The Times, Google has been working on how to answer a query from a user who wants to attend a close friend’s wedding but is unable to afford the travel costs to do so.
Aside from that, the AI's coaching function might help people develop or learn new abilities, and its planning feature could assist users create a financial budget or meal plan.
User wellbeing
Aside from that, the AI's coaching function might help people develop or learn new abilities, and its planning feature could assist users create a financial budget or meal plan.
In reality, Google's own safety experts cautioned in December that receiving life guidance from AI might result in "diminished health and well-being" and a "loss of agency," with some users incorrectly believing the AI was sentient and capable of understanding them in ways that only humans can.
Even before the Google Bard debut in March 2023, Google stated that the tool will not be able to advise users on medical, financial, or legal concerns. If Google adds these capabilities into its AI tools, it will be a dramatic shift — and it may raise issues about whether Google is prioritizing supremacy in the AI race over user well-being.
Winning at all costs
Google is reportedly working on more than one AI-based product, including a life coach. Among its other projects are tools for generating scientific and creative writing, assisting journalists in crafting headlines, and finding and extracting patterns from text.
Even notions like these were attacked by Google just a few months ago, when the corporation stated that the usage of generative AI could lead to the "deskilling" of creative writers.
It is uncertain whether any of these capabilities will become a reality at this time, but it appears that Google is determined to lead the AI race. However, as its own experts have pointed out, doing so may come at a cost.