Google DeepMind: The Response to ChatGPT and the Future of AI
In 2016, a small AI company, DeepMind, stunned the world when it beat the world champion of Go, a board game similar to chess that computers found difficult to master. Two years later, Google acquired DeepMind and declared itself to be an AI-first company. Now, Google has responded to the new AI frenzy sparked by ChatGPT, created by OpenAI, with the merger of the company's two major AI divisions into a new group called Google DeepMind.
The urgency of the AI craze sparked by the introduction of ChatGPT last November cannot be overstated. Shortly after launching ChatGPT, OpenAI announced a stronger alliance with Microsoft, and Elon Musk announced he is planning to launch a new AI initiative called "TruthGPT." In March, Google unveiled its response to ChatGPT with its own chatbot, Bard, but when Alphabet, Google's parent company, tweeted an ad for the new chatbot, it included a factual error that spooked Wall Street. Alphabet's stock consequently plummeted, wiping out $100 billion in market value. The market reaction underscored that the heightened interest in the battle over AI extended to Wall Street.
The surge in interest in AI is not surprising. The technology, which emerged after World War II, has typically gone through periods of intense interest followed by years of skepticism about the promise of artificial intelligence. The downbeat period has been referred to as an AI Winter, when funding dried up, research stalled, and overall interest waned as it did in the 1970s and '80s, and again in the mid-1990s. Today, AI is advancing exponentially.
The Race for AI Supremacy
The race for AI supremacy is an all-out sprint according to Louis Rosenberg, CEO and chief scientist of Unanimous AI. Google has clear advantages in the race, with some of the top AI people in the world and the ability to handle more data than almost anyone. Google DeepMind has been named the world's leading research team pioneering large-scale deep learning systems, but it has not played a leading and high profile role in developing new products.
The creation of Google DeepMind is a response to Microsoft and the moves it has been making with OpenAI. The fact that the tech giant found itself scrambling to respond to ChatGPT was partly due to a culture problem of not having the mentality of shipping products. To win the AI race, Google needs to leverage its channels and make its AI efforts lean, mean, and ready to ship products.
The Future of AI
The creation of Google DeepMind has been widely praised in the industry as a smart move as it allows for the concentration of focus, both in terms of development and go-to-market. IDC President Crawford Del Prete, a veteran tech industry analyst, says this is not the time for fragmentation of efforts but for consolidation at a time when there's unprecedented interest in AI.
However, Google is gearing up for battle at a time when there are also growing concerns about the potential abuse and misuse of AI. More than 1,000 technology leaders have called for a temporary pause in AI development to give the industry and policymakers time to develop rules on the technology's deployment.
Rebecca Wettemann, a principal at Valoir, says that making major changes in its AI organization will probably not be enough for Google, especially in the enterprise market where the competition is expected to be intense. Trust is the big issue for companies grappling with adopting AI, and trusting the vendor that provides it is critical. It will take more than a reorg for Google to gain a company's trust as an enterprise provider. Rosenberg agrees and says that AI companies should compete just as aggressively on developing and deploying safety mechanisms.
Google DeepMind is Google's response to the AI frenzy sparked by ChatGPT. The future of AI is an all-out sprint, and Google has clear advantages in the race. However, the potential abuse and misuse of the technology have raised concerns. Trust is the big issue for companies grappling with adopting AI, and it will take more than a reorg for Google to gain a company's trust as an enterprise provider.
