Google’s AI ‘LaMDA’ is Now Ready for You to Use

August 31, 2022

Last Updated Date: August 31, 2022

LaMDA became very popular recently after a Google employee talked about his theory about this artificial intelligence made by an American company. He said that it was so sensitive that it could be thought of as having a type of consciousness.

You can open Table of Contents show

Given that we live in a unique time when it comes to technology and how far it can go, the idea of an artificial intelligence that could be considered conscious was shocking to a lot of people. They see this as a sign of inevitable progress and, in a science fiction way, it can make them question how far technology can go and even how it relates to humans. For example, the question of whether artificial intelligence will be able to think better than humans and maybe even take over their minds is a very popular one. This is why it shows up in so many science fiction movies and books, like those by Isaac Asimov.

Maybe because of these hidden ideas in society, when engineer Blake Lemoine said that the artificial intelligence program LaMDA became self-aware, it didn’t take long for conspiracy theories, rumors, and news stories to start popping up. Soon, the controversy got so bad that the employee was fired from Google for his comments, and artificial intelligence even got a lawyer to defend itself.

Even though many experts on the subject wrote articles and shared their opinions on social media, saying that Blake Lemoine’s claims were impossible and that sensitivity and good programming should not be confused with conscience, people’s curiosity about the role of AI in communication and understanding did not go away. And now they probably won’t either, since Google has already released an app where people can talk to LaMDA, the famous artificial intelligence that “came to life.”

LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) can be tested with an app called AI Test Chicken, which Google showed off earlier this year. This app will let users talk to this chatbot technology as it starts to be used by people all over the world, a process that the same company says will happen slowly and gradually.

AI Test Chicken will be available as an app on Android first and then on iOS later. Google representatives say that when it comes out, it will be used as a set of rotating experimental demos to show users what is becoming possible with AI in a responsible way.

With this app, you can check out what the newest versions of the LaMDA language can do. These new versions are supposed to spark your imagination, help you organize tasks, and learn more about certain topics.

What is Lamda?

LaMDA is an acronym that stands for Language Model for Dialog Applications. Furthermore, Google’s AI Principles indicate that the corporation is committed to responsible innovation and takes AI development seriously.

The aforementioned AI model has undergone 11 distinct evaluations. Google even published a study paper earlier this year highlighting the effort that goes into its responsible development.

However, Lemoine’s compassion for LamDA is unusual and unlike anything you’ve ever seen. LamDA, according to Blake, is an AI that speaks like a human. “I know a person when I talk to it,” Lemoine explained. According to Blake, despite having billions of lines of code, it behaves like a person. What are your opinions on the matter? Please leave a remark below.

A super brain

Google created the LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications, language model for dialogue applications in Spanish) in 2017 and it is built on a transformer, which is a framework of deep artificial neural networks.

“This neural network has been trained using a vast amount of text.” However, learning is objective and presented as a game. “It includes a complete sentence, but you take away a word, and the system has to guess it,” explains Julio Gonzalo Arroyo, professor at the UNED (National University of Distance Education) in Spain and the department’s lead investigator.

Have some fun with yourself. When the system makes a mistake, it looks at the last pages, sees the correct response, and so corrects the parameters, fine-tuning, as if it were a handbook of children’s activities.

At the same time, Gonzalo Arroyo claims that “it identifies the meaning of each word and pays attention to the words that surround it.”

As a result, he becomes an expert in predicting patterns and words. Just like predictive text on your phone, but on a much wider scale and with considerably more memory.

Quality responses, specific and with interest

However, LaMDA generates responses that are flowing, not stuffy, and, according to Google, capable of recreating the dynamic and recognising the nuances of human dialogue. In a nutshell, don’t sound like a robot.

According to Google’s technology blog, this fluidity is one of its goals. And they acquire it, they claim, by ensuring that the replies are of high quality, detailed, and interesting.

“I’ve started playing the guitar,” it should respond with something connected to this, not something ridiculous.

To achieve the second goal, you should not respond with “Okay,” but rather with something more particular, such as “Which brand of guitar do you prefer, Gibson or Fender?”

And, in order for the system to provide answers that demonstrate curiosity and knowledge, it would have progressed to a higher level, such as: “A Fender Stratocaster is a wonderful guitar, but Brian May’s Red Special is special.”

What is the key to providing such detailed responses? As already stated, it trains itself. “He has an exceptional capacity to estimate which words are the most suited in each scenario after reading billions of words.”

Transformers like LaMDA have been a watershed moment for Artificial Intelligence professionals because “they allow very efficient processing (of information, of texts) and have generated a true revolution in the field of Natural Language Processing.”

Safety and bias

According to Google, another goal of LaMDA training is to avoid creating “violent or bloody content, promote slander or harsh stereotypes towards groups of people, or that contain profanity,” as they consider in their blog on artificial intelligence (AI ).

It is also desired that the answers be founded on facts and have known external sources.

“With LaMDA, we’re taking a methodical and careful approach to better address real concerns about fairness and truthfulness,” says Google spokesman Brian Gabriel.

It claims that the system has been subjected to 11 distinct assessments of the AI Principles, as well as “rigorous research and testing based on important parameters of quality, security, and the system’s ability to create fact-based statements.”