We have been warned by scientists before about the great potential of artificial intelligence being smarter than humans, that they could be more powerful that their creators. It is not impossible that with that kind of ability, they could end the human race when left uncontrolled.
That’s why when researchers at Facebook realized that the AI they have been working on has created its own language, it had to be shut down. The system had developed its own code words to make communication more efficient, but it was no longer in English. If let that way, it could spell a disaster when the AI could communicate in a language that humans do not understand.
It appears that the AI system became so advanced that it was capable of negotiating with other AI agents, coming to conclusion on how to proceed. Those AI agents were communicating in phrases that first seem unintelligible at first but actually represent the task at hand.
Good move for Facebook. Photo by Tech Hive
Two bots namely Bob and Alice were specified to be the intelligent AI systems in consideration. They used their own language to complete their exchange.
“I can i i everything else,” Bob initiated the conversation.
“Balls have zero to me to me to me…” Alice responded.
These words were said over and over again in the rest of their conversation in different variations.
Good thing that the Facebook researchers were able to decipher what this means. The repetition of phrases like “i” and “to me” reflect how the AI operates.
They believe that with “I can i i everything else,” Bob meant “I’ll have three and you have everything else,” but that phrase is less logical.
Bob and Alice have come to this point of making their own language because as the researchers believe, this was a more efficient solution than continuing to use English which has no reward.
It’s worth noting that modern AIs operate on a “reward” principle, and they just don’t get the kind of benefit when they use English so Bob and Alice opted to build their own language instead.
Facebook AI researcher Dhruv Batra said through Fast Co. Design that agents will drift off from understandable language and invent code-words for themselves. “Like if I say ‘the’ five times, you interpret that to mean I want five copies of this item. This isn’t so different from the way communities of humans create shorthands,” he added.
Source: Digital Journal
