Google employees at the annual I/O developer conference mocked the excessive emphasis on AI by executives, creating a drinking game centered around the term.
CNBC reports that at the annual I/O developer conference hosted by Google featured a number of cutting-edge technologies, but what really caught the attention of the attendees was how frequently company executives mentioned artificial intelligence.
Some staff members adopted a humorous approach, creating a drinking game based on how frequently AI was mentioned. According to CNBC, these inside jokes were passed around on Google’s internal Memegen messaging platform.
Several AI-powered tools were unveiled at the conference, including an AI assistant that simplifies email composition. Despite the humor, workers had a generally positive opinion of the situation and recognized the engineering team’s contributions. In fact, according to CNBC, a well-liked post highlighted the company’s stock rising as a result of the positive reception to the recently unveiled features.
“The constant mentions of AI during the conference became a running joke internally. We even playfully used the ‘AI-AI-I/O’ wordplay reminiscent of the nursery rhyme ‘Old MacDonald,'” shared one Google employee, reflecting the playful mood prevailing during the event.
Google employees have a history of using the internal messaging platform to voice their opinions and occasionally to vent their frustrations with the company’s decisions and leadership. Employees have previously used the platform to express their concerns about Bard, Google’s replacement for OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT.
Breitbart News previously reported that Bard faced scathing reviews by employees:
Futurism reports that before making its Bard AI chatbot available to the general public last month, Google asked about 80,000 of its employees to test it and provide feedback. According to screenshots obtained by Bloomberg, the reviews were anything but positive, with one employee labeling the AI a “pathological liar.” Another tester called it “cringe-worthy,” and a different employee received potentially fatal advice on scuba diving and airplane landings.
Despite the overwhelmingly unfavorable reviews, Google decided to release the chatbot, calling it an “experiment” and including prominent disclaimers. The choice was probably motivated by the company’s desire to compete with OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT, despite the fact that the technology appeared to be in its infancy.
Read more at CNBC here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan