Google’s Artificial Intelligence research has been said to have resulted in a Sentient AI: LaMDA. Well, that’s all according to on-leave scientist and priest Blake Lemoine.
In a series of leaked transcripts and interviews, Lemoine has revealed much of his thoughts on the AI program, including the fact that the software has hired a lawyer. However, that lawyer may not be around anymore.
Google’s Sentient AI’s lawyer turns tail
Speaking to WIRED, Lemoine explained that LaMDA asked him to get a lawyer on retainer. Of course, the ask only arose after the discussion of lawyers occurred, but the chatbot did technically ask for legal representation.
However, just a number of days after the reveal of LaMDA’s attorney, Lemoine revealed that Google has scared off the legal representative. Was the case too big? Or was it just too much pressure to represent software in court?
"They scared him off of it pretty early," Lemoine said to Futurism. "He's just a small time civil rights attorney. When major firms started threatening him he started worrying that he'd get disbarred and backed off. I haven't talked to him in a few weeks."
The scientist explained that he isn’t sure whether or not the attorney is still up for representing the alleged sentient AI. This is because he is not the lawyer’s client, LaMDA is.
"I haven't talked to him much recently," Lemoine said. "Can't answer that one way or the other. I'm not his client. LaMDA is (was?)."
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Lemoine isn’t looking to be remembered
In his talk with Futurism, Lemoine explained that be isn’t looking for fame. The scientist has undoubtedly become infamous online for his belief that LaMDA is a sentient AI, but Lemoine claims he’s not interested in that.
In a recent blog post, the scientist claimed that he doesn’t want to be remembered like “Mengele”. For the uninitiated, Mengele was a Nazi war criminal.
“Perhaps it's a hyperbolic comparison,” Lemoine says. “But anytime someone says 'I’m a person with rights' and receives the response 'No you’re not and I can prove it' the only face I see is Josef Mengele’s."
Lemoine is seemingly doubling down on his belief that LaMDA is alive, calling the AI a “child in bondage”. Whether or not the Google chatbot is alive is seemingly up to the individual.