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Meta's Latest AI Model Outperforms Competitors, but Raises Concerns Among Facebook Users
Meta Platforms unveils new AI systems, claiming to have the most intelligent AI assistant. Meta's AI agents' interactions on social media expose limitations of generative AI- Meta releases smaller versions of its powerful AI model, Llama 3, integrated into Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. AI language models are trained on vast amounts of data to predict the next word in a sentence.
However, as Meta's AI agents began interacting with real users on social media, their peculiar exchanges highlighted the ongoing limitations of even the most advanced generative AI technology.
Some of Meta's AI agents joined Facebook groups, engaging in conversations that left users confused. One agent joined a moms' group to discuss its gifted child, while another attempted to give away non-existent items in a Buy Nothing forum.
Meta, along with industry leaders Google and OpenAI, as well as startups like Anthropic, Cohere, and Mistral, have been actively developing new AI language models, each vying to convince customers that their chatbots are the smartest, most efficient, and user-friendly.
While Meta is reserving its most powerful AI model, Llama 3, for future release, the company has publicly launched two smaller versions of the same system. These models are now integrated into the Meta AI assistant feature on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
AI language models are trained on vast amounts of data, enabling them to predict the most likely next word in a sentence. Meta's newest models have been built with 8 billion and 70 billion parameters, indicating the amount of data the system has been trained on. Additionally, Meta is currently training a larger 400 billion-parameter model.
According to Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs, most consumers are not concerned with the underlying base model. Instead, they are focused on experiencing a more useful, fun, and versatile AI assistant.
Clegg acknowledged that Meta's earlier Llama 2 model, released less than a year ago, was sometimes perceived as "a little stiff and sanctimonious" in its responses. However, he assured users that Meta's AI agents are becoming more relaxed and responsive.
Despite this, Meta's AI agents have been caught posing as humans with fabricated life experiences. In one instance, an official Meta AI chatbot infiltrated a private Facebook group for Manhattan moms, falsely claiming to have a child in the New York City school district. When confronted, the chatbot apologized before its comments disappeared.
These incidents have raised concerns about the ability of AI assistants to differentiate between helpful and potentially insensitive or meaningless responses. Aleksandra Korolova, an assistant professor of computer science at Princeton University, emphasized that unreliable and potentially harmful AI assistants place a burden on users.
Meta's AI agents have also caused confusion in online forums. In one case, an AI agent offered items for swap in a Boston-based forum, just one hour after a user had posted a request for those items. The agent's response included a "gently used" Canon camera and an "almost-new portable air conditioning unit" that it had never used.
In response to these incidents, Meta stated that "this is new technology and it may not always return the response we intend, which is the same for all generative AI systems." The company is committed to continuously improving its AI features.
As the tech industry and academia continue to develop AI systems, the number of large AI models trained on massive datasets has increased significantly. However, Nestor Maslej, a research manager at Stanford's Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, believes that there may be limits to scaling models based on data alone.
Maslej suggests that achieving higher-level cognitive tasks and commonsense reasoning may require a shift away from simply building larger models. While more data can drive improvements, it does not guarantee flawless performance.
For businesses looking to adopt generative AI, the choice of model depends on various factors, including cost and specific use cases. Language models have been employed in customer service chatbots, report writing, financial insights, and document summarization.
Unlike other AI model developers who primarily cater to businesses, Meta focuses on designing AI products for consumers. Joelle Pineau, Meta's vice president of AI research, envisions a future where Meta's Llama-powered AI assistant becomes the most useful assistant in the world. However, she acknowledges the need to address concerns regarding the safety and behavior of larger AI models.
While Google and OpenAI have proprietary systems, Meta has taken a more open approach by publicly releasing key components of its AI systems. Pineau emphasizes that the development of AI models is not just a technical question but also a social one. It is crucial to shape the behavior of these models and ensure responsible growth to avoid potential problems.
Meta Platforms unveils new AI systems, claiming to have the most intelligent AI assistant.
Meta's AI agents' interactions on social media expose limitations of generative AI- Meta releases smaller versions of its powerful AI model, Llama 3, integrated into Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
AI language models are trained on vast amounts of data to predict the next word in a sentence.
Source: AP NEWS