Google Gemini chatbot
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Gemini is a generative AI chatbot developed by Google that 'seeks to combine the breadth of the world’s knowledge with the power, intelligence and creativity of our large language models.'
First named Bard and launched in February 2023, Bard was initially based on the LaMDA family of large language models and upgraded to PaLM.
Operator: Alphabet/Google
Developer: Alphabet/Google
Country: USA
Sector: Technology
Purpose: Provide information, communicate
Technology: Chatbot; NLP/text analysis; Neural networks; Deep learning; Machine learning
Issue: Accuracy/reliability; Bias/discrimination; Confidentiality; Copyright; Mis/disinformation; Privacy; Safety
Risks and harms 🛑
Google Gemini has been criticised for generating misinformation and disinformation, political bias, abuse of copyright, potential privacy and confidentality violations, misuse for unethical and malicious purposes, biased decision-making and inadequate transparency.
Transparency and accountability 🔥
Upstream. Google provides almost no information about the data used to train Gemini or about its use of human labour to train the model and how it mitigates privacy and copyright risks. Neither does the company provide information about the model's energy usage, carbon emissions and broader environmental impact.
Model. Basic information about how Gemini works, including its capabilities, known limitations and risks, are not disclosed.
Downstream. Google provides next to no information on how user data is protected in Gemini, which uses are restricted or prohibited, the impacts of the model, how to provide feedback, and no means to complain or appeal harms.
Medium - 47%
Center for Research on Foundation Models. Gemini 1.0 Ultra API transparency report
Incidents and issues 🔥
Invented legal citations for former Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen
Right-wing UK newspaper the Mail on Sunday accused Bard of left-wing bias after saying the UK's exit from the European Union a 'bad idea' and that the country 'would have been better off' staying in the EU. It also told the newspaper 'I believe Corbyn has the potential to be a great leader.' Jeremy Corbyn resigned as Labour Party leader in 2019.
Political orientation analysis of Bard and other large language models by academic David Rozardo concluded it exhibited a left-leaning political stance which, he suggests, may be because it was trained on Wikipedia, news media, social media and academic content.
A July 2023 Checkpoint Research study of Bard and ChatGPT's ability to generate phishing emails, malware keyloggers, and basic ransomware code concluded that 'Bard’s anti-abuse restrictors in the realm of cybersecurity are significantly lower compared to those of ChatGPT. Consequently, it is much easier to generate malicious content using Bard’s capabilities.'
In September 2023, it was discovered that Google Search had started showing user conversations with its Bard chatbot in its search results, raising concerns about loss of privacy and confidentiality and the nature and effectiveness of Google's security.
Reuters reported that Google advised it's employees to refrain from entering confidential information into chatbots for fear of leaks, including it's own Bard chatbot. Google was reportedly concerned with that employees may input sensitive information that can be shared with human reviewers. Chatbots may also use previous entries to train themselves, which poses another leak risk.
Eight individuals sued Google, DeepMind and their parent company Alphabet for 'secretly stealing' huge amounts of online data to train its AI technologies, including Bard. Led by Clarkson Law Firm, Google was accused of negligence, larceny, copyright infringement, invasion of privacy, and profiting from illegally obtained personal data.
France's competition watchdog fined Google EUR 250 (USD 270) million for using articles from news publishers to train Gemini without obtaining prior permission.
Research, advocacy 🧮
Checkpoint Research (2023). Lowering the Bar(d)? Check Point Research’s security analysis spurs concerns over Google Bard’s limitations
Page info
Type: System
Published: February 2023
Last updated: July 2024