The next time you find yourself lying in bed and casually asking Google for life advice, don’t be surprised if it starts speaking back to you.
DeepMind, Google’s artificial intelligence division, has revealed that it is testing a new tool that could soon act as a “personal life coach.”
According to documents, this project will employ generative AI to handle at least 21 different personal and professional tasks, ranging from offering life advice, generating ideas, and providing planning instructions to offering tutoring tips.
The tool is also being tested for its ability to respond to intimate questions about people’s lives.
For example, a user might one day ask the chatbot a difficult personal question, such as how to tell a close friend who is planning a destination wedding that they cannot afford to attend.
The tool reportedly features an idea-generation capability, offering suggestions or recommendations tailored to various situations. It can also help users learn or improve skills, such as running, and provide meal and workout plans.
While this development excites many, AI experts have raised concerns about the potential dangers of chatbots.
There are growing ethical concerns about the relationships humans will form with AI systems, prompting increased calls for regulation and laws to manage the rapid development of AI.
Dr. Christian Guttmann, an AI scientist and vice-president of engineering, decisioning, and AI at Pegasystems, commented:
“This development is a natural progression of how AI is being integrated into our daily lives. AI has already been successfully utilized in other sensitive environments for years, where people actually prefer seeking advice from AI.”
He emphasized the importance of a responsible approach to building relationships between humans and AI systems, ensuring that any advice given aligns with what a professional would recommend.
Earlier this year, Google and DeepMind merged to create Google DeepMind, combining two major research groups in the AI field: Google Researcher’s Brain team and DeepMind.
In a blog post from April announcing the merger, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, stated:
“To ensure the bold and responsible development of general AI, we’re creating a unit that will help us build more capable systems more safely and responsibly.”
A Google DeepMind spokesperson added:
“We have long collaborated with various partners to evaluate our research and products across Google, which is a crucial step in developing safe and helpful technology.
At any given time, many such evaluations are ongoing. Isolated samples of evaluation data do not reflect our product road map.”
