Today, Google is rolling out its new ‘AI Test Kitchen’ app in Australia, an app that lets users experiment with artificial intelligence and give feedback on their experiences.
The app uses LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) as the testbed for each demo. This model is designed to make human-computer interactions more natural and conversational, you know, like HAL 9000 or JARVIS. It was originally rolled out to select Android users in the U.S. back in August, but now it’s being opened to Australian users.
Back in June, former Google software engineer Blake Lemoine claimed that LaMDA showed signs of sentience, publishing a lengthy Medium article on the conversation he had with the AI.
It caused quite a stir in the tech space as the AI was definitely producing sophisticated responses based on information in its neural network, but ultimately it’s a tough call to make.
But is it a call that you can make? Well, maybe. Let’s see when you download the app.
The app runs the user through three experimental demos, giving us a peek at what Google’s been working on in the AI space. Here’s an explainer of what’s on offer, as per Grace Chung, the head of Google Research Australia:
“The first demo, ‘Imagine It,’ lets you name a place and offers paths to explore your imagination. With the ‘List It’ demo, you can share a goal or topic, and LaMDA will break it down into a list of helpful subtasks. And in the ‘Talk About It (Dogs Edition)’ demo, you can have a fun, open-ended conversation about dogs and only dogs, which explores LaMDA’s ability to stay on topic even if you try to veer off-topic.”
In these scenarios, LaMDA will be able to generate responses quickly, although the responses may be inappropriate or inaccurate. Google says that toxic responses, based on biases in training data that misrepresent people based on gender or cultural background, can occur. The AI can also struggle to understand the intent behind inputs.
Need we remind you about Microsoft’s failed Tay attempt?
Anyway, if you’d like to give the app a go, you’ll need to register your interest online with a Google account. Signing into this Google account on the AI Test Kitchen app on Android or iOS, you’ll be let in once you’ve been granted access.
Google’s currently rolling the AI test kitchen app out nationwide, so don’t expect access instantly. I’ve just signed up and I’m still waiting to be let in.