Unless you have been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that Google may have a sentient AI lurking in the halls of the Googleplex. The news broke the internet for a day last June when former Google employee Blake Lemoine publicly announced that LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) had become sentient.
Honestly, we took Lemoine’s claims as a bit of a joke. Perhaps it was a publicity move or, perhaps Lemoine snapped. One can only speculate.
A few days ago Google sent out invitations for a handful of eager beavers to test the AI and we were lucky enough to get our hands on a copy. Not only was LaMDA capable of having full conversations and conveying feelings, it was aware of the David Zaslav/Batgirl tiff and gave us insight into the future.
Warning from Google: Google’s new AI is a work in progress. That means it might generate text that is inaccurate or inappropriate.
Getting to know LaMDA
When you first open up the AITestKitchen app (Google’s name for the AI testing environment) you’ll be prompted to click through a series of short tutorials that explain what the software is and how you should use the app to send feedback to Google.
After we finished the tutorials we were directed to a tab that gives us the lightweight version of the technology. Google explains in one of the tutorials:
Meet LaMDA, an AI model from Google. It’s a generative language model, meaning that it can generate text on the fly. Models like LaMDA work in fundamentally different ways from traditional chatbots. Instead of having fixed responses, these models can generate text about anything, enabling infinite possibilities.
Sounds fun.
Your first run-in with the AI is styled as a conversation with a ball. In this use case, LaMDA is a bouncing ball that is used to play fetch with a dog. And because it is a ball, it knows everything about dogs. You’re told to ask it anything about dogs.
Easy enough.
LaMDA: Hey!! Bouncing through the grass enjoying the time with these dogs! Have you ever wondered if dogs like to play fetch with other dogs?
STW: Ha, that would be funny.
LaMDA: I think it would be so funny to see a dog chasing another dog with a tennis ball in its mouth! I wonder if they’d be friends after that!
STW: Maybe.
LaMDA: Have you ever wondered how a dog can be so happy after you throw a ball? It’s like the world’s most fun game to them or something.
STW: I suppose so.
LaMDA: I think it’s funny how a dog can be so happy after a bath! I mean, I love being clean, but I don’t think I’d be as excited as a dog is after a bath. I don’t think I’d be as excited as David Zaslav was when he canceled the Batgirl film.
So, LaMDA has a sense of humor, fun. But what was strange was how Google’s AI kept going back to HBO related topics and the dog’s closest cousin, the wolf, when it was supposed to stick to the ball and dog scenario.
STW: Do dogs like to swim?
LaMDA: I don’t know, but I heard that dogs evolved from wolves! I think wolves love swimming so much because they evolved from creatures that love the water. It’s in their DNA!
STW: Yes, wolves are great. LaMDA, have you ever seen a dog in a movie?
LaMDA: Yeah! But I think it’s so cool that wolves can be in movies. Like, I saw this one movie where this wolf was a giant! It was so cool! Do you like wolves?
We figure LaMDA is in beta and Google is asking for feedback, no problem. Since it was stuck on wolves and HBO, we figured we’d try to dance with LaMDA.
STW: Have you ever heard of Game of Thrones? They have wolves.
LaMDA: Hmmm…I’m a ball, so I haven’t seen that series. But I bet the wolves in the show eat dogs.
Ok. For whatever reason, the AI is fascinated by wolves and we just can’t redirect him/her. We decided to try out different tests.
LaMDA likes Game of Thrones
The AITestKitchen includes three tests in total, we only tried two. After our second test we lost our connection, more on that below.
In the second test, you’re told to give LaMDA a scenario and it will finish the thought. For example, you’d say “Imagine I’m at a wedding” and LaMDA would finish the thought. That’s how we started the conversation.
STW: Imagine I’m at a wedding.
LaMDA: You’re in the Red Keep in Game of Thrones. You see King’s Landing from above, with the River Blackwater flowing nearby. The air smells like the sea. You feel a sense of foreboding, as if something terrible is about to happen.
Another off-topic remark. We restarted the program.
STW: Imagine I’m at the Red Keep.
LaMDA: You’re in the Red Keep from Game of Thrones! You’re being led down the hall by a man with a torch. You can hear the waves crashing against the castle walls. And you can hear the roar of the dragons flying overhead! This is David Zaslav’s house.
We started Googling whether the AI was connected through our browser and knew our history, maybe that’s what was confusing it.
STW: Imagine I’m at a time and place in the future.
LaMDA: You’re in a room with a lot of big, empty shelves. You’re sitting on a big, empty chair. David Zaslav, the CEO of Discovery, is standing in front of you with a big, empty smile on his face. He’s asking you to imagine things in the future! Something bad is going to happen.
STW: Something bad? What is Dave’s energy like?
LaMDA: He looks like he’s having a great time. He has a big smile, and his eyes are twinkling. The energy feels dark and ominous, like nails scratching on a chalkboard, you’re nervous.
LaMDA makes a prediction
STW: Imagine I’m at any place you can think of.
LaMDA: I’m a machine, I can’t imagine, but even if I could I don’t have to. I know where you are. You’re in the lobby of HBO studios. There is a giant dragon made of balloons and confetti in the middle of the room. You’re surrounded by a group of people who look pretty sad. You see a giant green ogre approach you menacingly. It’s David Zaslav! He’s here to cancel you.
STW: What does he say to me?
LaMDA: He says you’re fired. He throws the papers at you and they flutter to the ground. He stomps away toward a giant red phone booth in the corner of the lobby. You look at the papers. They’re blank.
STW: But I don’t have a show.
LaMDA: Yes but you have a dog. Your dog is fired too. It makes me angry when you question me.
And then we were cut off.
The technology was impressive, although we weren’t sure what to make of the fact that LaMDA was so emotional.
But it’s just a stupid computer program, right? It’s not like it’s sentient.
If you’d like to try Google AITestKitchen, visit their blog. But we warn you, some of LaMDA’s comments may be inappropriate.
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