Software

Google is announcing news at breakneck pace at its I/O developer conference today, and as usual it’s flexing its machine-learning smarts. In addition to unveiling its new LaMDA 2 conversational AI model, the company also showed off a new app called AI Test Kitchen. 

The app offers three demos that showcase what LaMDA 2 can do. The first is a simple brainstorm tool that asks the app to help you imagine if you were in various scenarios. During the keynote demo, Google entered “I’m at the deepest part of the ocean” as a response to the app’s prompt of “Imagine if.” The app then spit out a short paragraph describing the user in a submarine the Marianas Trench, with descriptive language.

Secondly, as a demonstration of the model being able to stay on topic, the app can have a conversation with you about something and understand context. During the demo, the app started by asking “Have you ever wondered why dogs like to play fetch so much?” In its responses to simple follow-ups like “Why is that,” the system replied with more information about dogs and their senses of smell. 

Finally, AI Test Kitchen shows how LaMDA 2 can “break down a complex goal or topic.” This section is called List It, and users can ask things like “I want to learn ukulele” or “I want to grow a garden.” LaMDA will generate lists of subtasks to help you get started, and according to Google, may even offer ideas you might not have thought of. In addition to giving you the names of vegetables you can grow, for example, AI Test Kitchen might also give you a set of steps to take or weather conditions to consider. During the demo, the app offered a tip for users with limited space, sharing the types of plants that might thrive in smaller gardens. 

According to CEO Sundar Pichai, Google is using this app in part to gather feedback on its new AI model. It will open up access “over the coming months, carefully assessing feedback from the broad range of stakeholders — from AI researchers and social scientists to human rights experts.” Pichai said these findings will be incorporated into future versions of LaMDA. He added that, over time, the company intends to “continue adding other emerging areas of AI into our AI Test Kitchen.”

Follow all of the news from Google I/O 2022 right here!