Google CEO Sundar Pichai has labeled the recent controversy surrounding Google’s Gemini AI engine as “unacceptable” after it produced historically inaccurate images of racially diverse Nazis. In an internal memo addressed to the staff, Pichai acknowledged the offense caused and emphasized the company’s commitment to addressing and rectifying the issues.
In the memo, Pichai stated, “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.” He further urged the teams to work tirelessly to rectify the problems and emphasized the high standards expected from Google.
The Gemini AI engine faced criticism for generating images of racially diverse Nazi soldiers, including black and Asian individuals in Wehrmacht uniforms. Users accused the AI of displaying bias and inappropriate contextual usage. Pichai’s statement recognized the imperfections of AI at this emerging stage but underscored Google’s commitment to meeting the high expectations set for the technology.
The controversy led to a significant drop in Alphabet’s shares, Google’s parent company, losing over $90 billion in market value. This marks one of the largest daily drops in the past year, emphasizing the potential financial implications of AI-related controversies for tech giants.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk also weighed in on the matter, criticizing the AI chatbot and highlighting concerns about its programming. Google responded by pausing the tool’s capacity to generate photos of people while they work to address and fix the issues.
This incident adds to a series of challenges and debates surrounding AI ethics, diversity, and responsible implementation, raising questions about the industry’s development and the need for stringent oversight.