The recent resurgence of interest in generative AI technologies has brought about increased scrutiny, particularly for tech giant Google (GOOG, GOOGL), which finds itself under the spotlight once again.
Google disclosed its intention to reintroduce its Gemini AI image generator.
This decision follows a turbulent period where social media users highlighted instances of inaccurate or unexpected outputs, fueling allegations of bias, particularly what critics termed as “anti-White bias.”
Among the criticisms, one widely circulated post showcased a Gemini-generated image labeled as “a portrait of a Founding Father of America,” portraying a Black man alongside a Native American man, a depiction that stirred significant debate.
Further examples of both image and text outputs drew condemnation from notable figures, including Elon Musk, the CEO of X, who has previously expressed concerns regarding perceived political leanings in AI technologies.
The recent incident represented another setback for Google as it strives to establish its presence in the rapidly expanding market for AI products, while also striving to keep pace with competitors like Microsoft (MSFT) and its AI collaborator, OpenAI.
Following the announcement of its decision to temporarily suspend the tool, shares of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, experienced a nearly 5% decline last week.
In a memo to staff, CEO Sundar Pichai said, “I know that some of its responses have offended our users and shown bias — to be clear, that’s completely unacceptable, and we got it wrong.”
Loop Capital’s managing director, Rob Sanderson, remarked that Google’s recent PR blunder indicated its lagging performance in the fiercely competitive generative AI space.
This situation raises questions about the company’s standing and search dominance, potentially exerting pressure on its valuation.
“Google seems to be handling product introduction in a way unlike Google of the past,” he said.
“We think that Google is in the unfamiliar position in not being the leader in a core, [machine learning]-driven technology. Google is trying hard to catch up and now needs to go backward to repair a core technology component while dealing with a major PR blunder, or possibly something worse.”
Rob Sanderson
Google’s initial stumble occurred a year ago with the unveiling of its AI chatbot, Bard, shortly after the widespread emergence of ChatGPT.
The chatbot gained attention for generating an inaccurate response in a promotional video, leading to a significant dip in Google’s market value, losing $100 billion, while Microsoft’s fortunes surged.
In a recent blog post, Google addressed the issue, explaining that its Gemini image generation tool was tuned to display a diverse range of individuals across different ethnicities and characteristics.
However, the company acknowledged its failure to anticipate scenarios where diversity was inappropriate.
Infusing Social Issues Into AI Seems Problematic
Some observers suggested that Google’s longstanding dominance in the search space may have contributed to a culture within the company that hindered innovation, a dynamic that became apparent in the shortcomings of the tool.
“Many suggest that a cultural bias toward social issues is so deeply entwined in Google’s engineering that it’s being reflected in its most advanced AI products,” said Sanderson.
Alison Taylor, a professor at New York University who specializes in business ethics and social impact, stated that the overemphasis on incorporating diversity initiatives in the tech industry reflects the challenging situation that companies like Google face.
“Do these AI tools reflect the accurate fact that society is racist, or do they try to correct and the result is the absurdity that we see?” she said.
Similar to past controversies involving Bud Light (BUD) and Target (T), Google had once again drawn the criticism of a faction of conservatives who view corporate efforts towards inclusivity as both adversarial and poorly executed.
To those resistant to diversity initiatives, the recent incident appeared as an instance of inclusivity taken to extremes. For critics of AI, it underscored the rushed development of products and the inelegant efforts to address biases in AI models.
On Wall Street, it emphasized the additional risks associated with Google playing catch-up in the competitive landscape.
“We think that Google’s uncertain position in [generative] AI and long-term implications will be a growing ‘wall of worry’ for investors at a minimum and the beginning of secular decline in the worst case,” Sanderson said.
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