Title: Google’s ChatGPT Rival Relies on Under-Pressure Contractors for AI Audit, Documents Reveal
Google’s competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, known as Bard, is reportedly trained by a large number of contractors who face immense pressure to review answers generated by the AI chatbot within a mere three minutes. According to anonymous contractors working at companies like Appen and Accenture, these workers receive minimal training and earn as little as $14 per hour. The accuracy and reliability of Google’s rival depend heavily on these contractors, as they play a critical role in auditing the AI-powered responses.
Bard was introduced by Google in February, following the launch of ChatGPT, which instantly raised concerns within the company. OpenAI’s chatbot quickly amassed 100 million users in just two months, posing a direct threat to Google’s search business, while Microsoft invested considerable resources in OpenAI’s development.
While large language models form the basis of chatbots like Bard and ChatGPT, human reviewers are also necessary to ensure the responses are trustworthy and precise. However, the workload for these reviewers has become increasingly burdensome and complex, as explained by internal documents and six contractors surveyed by Bloomberg.
In documents published by Bloomberg and reviewed by Insider, it becomes evident that the present situation has left contractors feeling scared, stressed, and underpaid. The fear-driven environment, as one contractor revealed, hampers collaboration and teamwork, ultimately jeopardizing the desired quality of their work.
This report sheds light on the extent to which Google is taking the OpenAI threat seriously, as both companies engage in an AI arms race to establish dominance in the global rollout of artificial intelligence.
Contractors are typically tasked with assessing the helpfulness of chatbot responses, rating them on a scale from not at all helpful to extremely helpful. The rating is based on factors such as the response’s relevance and timeliness.
At the time of writing, Google, Appen, and Accenture had not responded to requests for comment from Insider.
By shedding light on the inner workings of Google’s AI development, this article reveals the heightened competition and urgency in the race for AI supremacy, further accelerating the deployment of advanced AI technologies to the world.
