Google warns its own staff about chatbots: What you need to know

Google is one of the biggest backers of artificial intelligence (AI) in the world, but it's also warning its own staff about the potential risks of using chatbots, including its own Bard.

Chatbots are programs that use AI to hold conversations with users and answer various prompts. They can be fun, creative and helpful, but they can also pose privacy and security threats.

According to Reuters, Google has advised its employees not to enter its confidential materials into chatbots, citing long-standing policy on safeguarding information. The company also alerted its engineers to avoid direct use of computer code that chatbots can generate, saying that Bard can make undesired code suggestions.

The reason for this caution is that chatbots can leak sensitive data or expose vulnerabilities in software. Human reviewers may read the chats, and researchers found that similar AI could reproduce the data it absorbed during training, creating a leak risk.

Google is not alone in this concern. A growing number of businesses around the world have set up guardrails on AI chatbots, among them Samsung, Amazon.com and Deutsche Bank. Apple reportedly has as well.

Some 43% of professionals were using ChatGPT or other AI tools as of January, often without telling their bosses, according to a survey by the networking site Fishbowl.

Google's caution also shows how it wishes to avoid business harm from software it launched in competition with ChatGPT, a popular chatbot developed by OpenAI and Microsoft. Google is rolling out Bard to more than 180 countries and in 40 languages as a springboard for creativity, and it aims to be transparent about the limitations of its technology.

However, Google also faced some regulatory hurdles in launching Bard in the European Union (EU), where it had to provide more information about the chatbot's impact on privacy. Google told Reuters it has had detailed conversations with Ireland's Data Protection Commission and is addressing regulators' questions.

Chatbots are an exciting and innovative technology that can offer many benefits to users and businesses alike. But they also come with some challenges and risks that need to be addressed carefully. Google is trying to balance these two aspects as it markets its own chatbot around the world.

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