Alphabet Inc had its market value drop by $100 billion on Wednesday as a result of its new chatbot providing false information in a promotional video and a lackluster corporate event fueling concerns that the parent company of Google is losing momentum to competitor Microsoft Corp.
Hours later the Alphabet shares remained unchanged after falling as much as nine percent during normal trading. Shares of Microsoft increased by almost three percent before retreating.
Google’s advertising promoting the chatbot Bard which made its debut on Monday had a factual inaccuracy concerning which satellite captured the first images of a planet outside of our solar system. This error was originally discovered by Reuters.
After OpenAI, a company Microsoft is investing $10 billion in, unveiled software in November that amazed users and became a craze in Silicon Valley circles for its shockingly accurate and well-written responses to straightforward questions Google has been reeling.
Just before the presentation, Mountain View, California-based Google found Bard’s inaccuracy.
Alphabet promised on Twitter that a brief GIF video showing Bard in action would help to explain complicated subjects but it instead provided an incorrect response.
What recent findings from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) can I share with my 9-year-old? was the advertisement’s prompt for Bard. Bard offers many responses; one of which claims that the JWST was used to capture the first images of exoplanets or worlds outside the solar system.
A Google spokeswoman said, “This emphasises the need of a thorough testing procedure,” adding, “To ensure that Bard’s replies reach a high standard for quality and safety in real-world knowledge we’ll combine external input with our own internal testing.”
