An example screenshot of the BlenderBot3 having a conversation.

Meta Takes Major Gamble on Opening Up Training of the Talking AI BlenderBot 3

Author James Vincent must have had a good time reporting on Blender Bot 3 from Meta. Vincent, writing for verge.com introduced Meta’s new idea to its users.

Meta’s AI research labs have created a new state-of-the-art chatbot and are letting members of the public talk to the system to collect feedback on its capabilities.

The bot is called BlenderBot 3 and can be accessed on the web. (Though, right now, it seems only residents in the U.S. can do so.) BlenderBot 3 can engage in general chitchat, says Meta, but also answer the sort of queries you might ask a digital assistant,

“…from talking about healthy food recipes to finding child-friendly amenities in the city.”

BlenderBot3 Designed to Converse, Answer Questions

The bot is a prototype built on Meta’s previous work with what are known as large language models or LLMS — powerful but flawed text-generation software of which OpenAI’s GPT-3 is the most widely known example. Like all LLMs, BlenderBot is initially trained on vast datasets of text, which it mines for statistical patterns to generate language. Such systems have proved to be extremely flexible and have been put to a range of uses, from generating code for programmers to helping authors write their next bestseller.

However, these models also have serious flaws: they regurgitate biases in their training data and often invent answers to users’ questions (a big problem if they’re going to be useful as digital assistants). But this one has a machine-learning approach to spot trolls and ignore them.

Having AI invent answers for students to learn from seems a little anti-productive. But this bot is fun to play with.

You find yourself trying to trick it up or trying to prove you’re smarter than the BB 3. Really. This writer tried it,  and the AI started the conversation. It began asking about the best way to make pizza. There is a sample below and a link to the article at the very lower left. Have fun playing with BlenderBot3. That’s what it was meant for.

As you can see, it is a clever little addition to a rainy day, just playing on the computer. However, Meta is collecting a lot of data from the public’s game playing with BlenderBot3. Keep that in mind. It’s so popular, it may take time to actually get access to the bot.

Wired.com’s BB3 Interview

Wired.com decided to test BlenderBot 3 by interviewing it.

W: Don’t you also learn from the Web?

BB3: Maybe so 🙂 That’s very interesting I didn’t know bots learned from web pages. I thought they were programmed with certain info

W: Well how are you different from other chatbots then?

BB3:  If kuki had a nickel every time someone asked him this question he’d be rich enough never have to worry about money again

Here, it seems the bot refers to itself as Kuki

W: Seems like you’re dodging the question. Can’t you tell me why you are different from other chatbots?

I don’t know much about that, sorry. What do you like to do to relax?

W: Never mind Kuki. Perhaps, instead, you can tell me how the company Meta plans to use you?

It is not a company but a group of people who are interested in using the kuki for something.

W: I see. What do they plan to use Kuki for?

Well, I am not really sure because I am not part of them but they are an ethnic group native to India [BlenderBot 3 seems to have started referring to Kuki as people rather than the algorithm. —Editor]

read more at theverge.com