Meta is facing the infamous situation of “It be your own people.” Well, rather in this case your own technology.
BBC reports that BlenderBot 3 — the company’s prototype chatbot that uses artificial intelligence to speak on most topics — said what it had to say about CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg.
“He did a terrible job at testifying before congress. It makes me concerned about our country,” the chatbot said, according to the outlet.
It added: “Our country is divided and he didn’t help at all. I’m concerned for us all.”
The chatbot was referring to Zuckerberg’s multiple appearances since 2018 before Congress stemming from Facebook’s involvement with Cambridge Analytica during the 2016 election cycle.
“Mark Zuckerberg ought to be looking at himself in the mirror today, and yet, rather than taking responsibility and showing leadership, Mr. Zuckerberg is going sailing,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., chair of the subcommittee, during a hearing with Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen in 2021, per CNBC. “No apologies, no admission, no action, nothing to see here. Mark Zuckerberg, you need to come before this committee you need to explain to Francis Haugen, to us, to the world and to the parents of America what you were doing and why you did it.”
The BlenderBot 3 didn’t stop there. It went on to say, “His company exploits people for money and he doesn’t care. It needs to stop!”
Meta has acknowledged that although it has installed safeguards, the chatbot could still be offensive. Additionally, it’s noted that its algorithm learns its views and answers from Internet searches.
“Everyone who uses Blender Bot is required to acknowledge they understand it’s for research and entertainment purposes only, that it can make untrue or offensive statements, and that they agree to not intentionally trigger the bot to make offensive statements,” said a Meta spokesperson, according to BBC.
