By Taye Johnson
Google is raising concerns about how it is creating AI tools — but it's not for what you may think.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the world that we live in. Companies such as Google are developing AI products to compete in a growing market. However, like any emerging technology, AI has its own set of challenges and limitations. In recent years, Google has had to grapple with some of these AI issues, which has sparked debates and criticism.
One of the major concerns related to Google’s AI tools, such as Chatbot and their image generator, Gemini, is its potential for bias. The information that is used to create AI models is at the forefront of what we see as an output. The source of the data can lead to promoting bias and perpetuating discrimination. Recently, Google faced backlash when its image recognition software misclassified images of Black people as gorillas—a clear example of biased training data. These incidents raised questions about the fairness and inclusivity of Google’s AI algorithms.
To address this issue, Google has implemented several strategies. One of them is diversifying the data used for training AI models. By including more diverse and representative datasets, Google aims to minimize the inherent biases in its AI algorithms. Additionally, the company has established strict ethical guidelines for AI development, ensuring that fairness, transparency and accountability are prioritized throughout the process.
Another significant concern with Google’s AI is privacy and data security. AI algorithms require large amounts of information to test their performance. However, this reliance on data raises the question of how entities like Google are using the information. To address these concerns, Google has implemented stringent privacy protocols. The company follows strict data protection laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which ensures that individuals have control over their data. Google also implements advanced encryption techniques to secure user data and employs differential privacy methods to anonymize data while preserving its utility for AI research.
Additionally, Google has been proactive in addressing AI's ethical implications. In 2019, the company established an Ethics and Safety Board tasked with providing guidance and governance in the development and deployment of AI systems. This board is composed of experts from various fields, including technology, ethics and social sciences, ensuring a multidisciplinary approach to addressing ethical concerns.
Moreover, Google is actively engaged in promoting AI transparency. The company has been at the forefront of research and development in explainable AI, which aims to make AI systems more interpretable and understandable to humans. By increasing transparency, Google seeks to build trust with users and stakeholders, addressing concerns related to the black-box nature of AI algorithms.
Despite these proactive measures, Google's AI issues are not devoid of ongoing challenges. The complexity of AI systems and the rapidly evolving nature of the technology make it challenging to stay ahead of potential biases and ethical dilemmas. Google continues to invest in research, development and collaboration with experts to tackle these challenges head-on.
I think Google faces significant challenges in developing and deploying AI technology responsibly. Bias, privacy concerns and ethical implications are some of the key issues that Google has encountered. However, the company has expressed a commitment to addressing these challenges through diversifying training data, implementing privacy protocols, establishing ethics boards and promoting AI transparency.