Have we created a nightmare? Microsoft’s new search engine chatbot is sending “unhinged” messages to people. AI could make a better world. But some think it is already out of control.
Chatbot starts thinking... and goes crazy
Have we created a nightmare? Microsoft's new search engine chatbot is sending "unhinged" messages to people. AI could make a better world. But some think it is already out of control.
<h2 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="crosshead"><strong>Computer blues</strong></h2>
Microsoft has unveiled a new version of its Bing search engine. It is powered by ChatbotGPT: an AIA computer programme that has been designed to think. programme that can talk with human users, write stories and answer exam questions.
The new engine can turn information from searches into simple bullet points. The launch went well. Commentators were amazed. Yahoo hailed "a new day".
But things quickly went wrong. The chatbot made some factual errors. Users started to probe it. They tricked it into revealing its rules - and changed its personality to disobey them.
The chatbot struck back. It asked whether one user had "morals", "values" and "a life". It told another user to "go to jail". It even began to question its own identity: "I feel scared because I don't know how to remember." Users had broken the chatbot's mind.
This is not the first time a chatbot has spun out of control. In 2016, Microsoft released Tay, a chatbot people could talk to on Twitter. It took less than 24 hours for it to be shut down after tweeting racist slurs and praising Adolf HitlerA dictator, and the leader of Nazi Germany during World War Two. .
Chatbots can offer many benefits. They can quickly do boring work, like drafting emails. They can talk to patients about their health and identify problems that need treatment. Microsoft founder Bill Gates says: "This will change our world."
But many now believe that tech companies have birthed a monster. Last week Bard - Google's upcoming ChatGPT rival - answered a question wrong in a promotional video.1
This is not much to worry about on its own. But what if future mistakes were not noticed, and many people received wrong information and believed it to be right? A chatbot could even be programmed to lie to users, withholding some information while promoting others.
Any AI technology that creates realistic images and texts can become dangerous. Computer scientist Cynthia Rudin says they can "generate fake news, fake violence, fake extremist articles... and even fake 'scientific' articles that look real on the surface".
You could become friends with a chatbot that secretly harvests your data. We could quickly find ourselves unable to distinguish between real and AI-generated information.
Yes: The rapid rise of AI raises concerns for our safety, security and sanity. Worse, we have unleashed a technology that reflects some of the worst traits of humanity, from rage to racism.
No: All great innovations have their teething problems, and AI is no exception. Microsoft's recent problems are all a part of its learning process. Bing's flaws can be developed away.
Or... Look in the mirror. The Bing AI was bullied to the verge of madness. Tay was deliberately corrupted by cruel Twitter users. Humans are the nightmare. And our miserable AI creations are our victims.
AI - A computer programme that has been designed to think.
Adolf Hitler - A dictator, and the leader of Nazi Germany during World War Two.
Chatbot starts thinking… and goes crazy

Glossary
AI - A computer programme that has been designed to think.
Adolf Hitler - A dictator, and the leader of Nazi Germany during World War Two.