'We do not understand these artificial people': Ex-Google engineer compares AI chatbots to atomic bomb

In June last year, Google's former Software Engineer Blake Lemoine was sent on leave for saying that the company's chatbot was sentient. Months after the incident we saw the rollout of ChatGPT, a large language model that took the world by storm. The explosive remarks made by Lemoine now seemed to be more than just the ramblings of an angry employee. The former Google engineer has made more remarks explaining the nature of AI and the potential dangers of the technology.

In an authored article in Newsweek, Lemoine said that he was testing LaMDA for biases back when he was still employed by Google. That's when he realized that the AI was sentient. To provide some context, Lemoine claims that AI is like an artificial person trying to replace the tried and tested indexes or search engines. He said that we do not know them ‘well enough yet to put them in such a critical role.’

The former Google employee explained the scale of AI chatbot technology by comparing it to the invention of the atomic bomb. He said that the kinds of AI that are being built right now are the “most powerful technology that has been invented since the atomic bomb.”

Giving further instances, Lemoine claimed that large language AI models like ChatGPT and Google Bard have the capacity to influence human beings. He said the LaMDA model he was testing managed to sway him in favour of Asimov’s laws of robotics, something even many humans tried but failed. 

Google fired Lemoine in July for violating employment and data security policies. 

Google Bard, ChatGPT and Bing AI

The rollout of ChatGPT late last year, has offered a new meaning of AI for many of us. The technology is in a very nascent stage, and we see conflicting arguments about the invention. Many educational institutions have decidedly boycotted the large language model AIs while others have lauded it as the next big thing. 

Microsoft rolled out its own version of the software using a more advanced model but Google is being cautious about the rollout, especially after the AI made a blunder during the first presentation on its capabilities. The AI model is being tested internally and the search giant is under massive pressure to take the fight to Microsoft.

Also read: Google vs Microsoft: Why Satya Nadella has advantage over Sundar Pichai in the AI war