New Uncensored Chatbots Ignite a Free-Speech Fracas
Several uncensored and loosely moderated chatbots have sprung to life in recent months under names like GPT4All and FreedomGPT. Many were created for little or no money by independent programmers or teams of volunteers, who successfully replicated the methods first described by A.I. researchers. Only a few groups made their models from the ground up. Most groups work from existing language models, only adding extra instructions to tweak how the technology responds to prompts.
The uncensored chatbots offer tantalizing new possibilities. Users can download an unrestricted chatbot on their own computers, using it without the watchful eye of Big Tech. They could then train it on private messages, personal emails or secret documents without risking a privacy breach. Volunteer programmers can develop clever new add-ons, moving faster — and perhaps more haphazardly — than larger companies dare.
But the risks appear just as numerous — and some say they present dangers that must be addressed. Misinformation watchdogs, already wary of how mainstream chatbots can spew falsehoods, have raised alarms about how unmoderated chatbots will supercharge the threat. These models could produce descriptions of child pornography, hateful screeds or false content, experts warned.
While large corporations have barreled ahead with A.I. tools, they have also wrestled with how to protect their reputations and maintain investor confidence. Independent A.I. developers seem to have few such concerns. And even if they did, critics said, they may not have the resources to fully address them.
“The concern is completely legitimate and clear: These chatbots can and will say anything if left to their own devices,” said Oren Etzioni, an emeritus professor at the University of Washington and former chief executive of the Allen Institute for A.I. “They’re not going to censor themselves. So now the question becomes, what is an appropriate solution in a society that prizes free speech?”
Source: The New York Times
