Google sent an email today to businesses with Google Business Profiles (GBP) that details their AI principles. In the email they have a link to Google’s AI principles.
In the email, Google goes into detail about how they are an AI-first company, and has been for years. Actually, this is the first time that I’ve heard about Google saying that they are an AI-first company. Seems odd to me, they actually should be a customer-first company, but apparently not. They explain how they’re enthusiastic about all the ways small business es can continue to use this technology. Frankly, this is the first time that Google is specifically sending out an email to small businesses, and I suspect that the majority of the recipients of this email have no idea how they should use AI to reach new customers, boost revenue, and work more efficiently. I know a few that have used ChatGPT to write emails and write blog posts, but that’s about it. It’s very limited as to what small businesses are actually using AI for–they’re not really using it that much.
Here’s the full text of Google’s email today:
This year, advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have made headlines across the world. But you might still be wondering what AI is exactly, and how it can help small businesses like yours.
Simply put, AI is computer programming that learns and adapts to solve complex problems. While it can’t solve every problem, it has the potential to profoundly improve our lives and the way we do business. In fact, it’s already making the tools business owners often use — like Google Search, Ads, and Maps — more helpful.
Google has been an AI-first company for years and is enthusiastic about all the ways small businesses can continue to use this technology to reach new customers, boost revenue, and work more efficiently. We’re also dedicated to keeping you and your business protected, which is why we thoroughly test Google AI systems to make sure they follow our AI principles and are safe and secure.
Read about our AI principles
We know building AI responsibly is a collective effort. We are working with other leading AI companies and the federal government to share information and best practices. This includes joint industry commitments to advance responsible practices in the development of AI.
Over the next few months, we’ll share more about our approach to AI as the technology evolves and offer tips on how you can use AI to support your business.
Thanks,
The Google Customer Solutions Team
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Google’s AI Principles
Here’s more about Google’s AI Principles, including their responsibility and their objectives for AI applications.
RESPONSIBILITY:
Our Principles
While we are optimistic about the potential of AI, we recognize that advanced technologies can raise important challenges that must be addressed clearly, thoughtfully, and affirmatively. These AI Principles describe our commitment to developing technology responsibly and work to establish specific application areas we will not pursue.
Objectives for AI applications
1. Be socially beneficial.
The expanded reach of new technologies increasingly touches society as a whole. Advances in AI will have transformative impacts in a wide range of fields, including healthcare, security, energy, transportation, manufacturing, and entertainment. As we consider potential development and uses of AI technologies, we will take into account a broad range of social and economic factors, and will proceed where we believe that the overall likely benefits substantially exceed the foreseeable risks and downsides.
AI also enhances our ability to understand the meaning of content at scale. We will strive to make high-quality and accurate information readily available using AI, while continuing to respect cultural, social, and legal norms in the countries where we operate. And we will continue to thoughtfully evaluate when to make our technologies available on a non-commercial basis.
2. Avoid creating or reinforcing unfair bias.
AI algorithms and datasets can reflect, reinforce, or reduce unfair biases. We recognize that distinguishing fair from unfair biases is not always simple, and differs across cultures and societies. We will seek to avoid unjust impacts on people, particularly those related to sensitive characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, nationality, income, sexual orientation, ability, and political or religious belief.
3. Be built and tested for safety.
We will continue to develop and apply strong safety and security practices to avoid unintended results that create risks of harm. We will design our AI systems to be appropriately cautious, and seek to develop them in accordance with best practices in AI safety research. In appropriate cases, we will test AI technologies in constrained environments and monitor their operation after deployment.
4. Be accountable to people.
We will design AI systems that provide appropriate opportunities for feedback, relevant explanations, and appeal. Our AI technologies will be subject to appropriate human direction and control.
5. Incorporate privacy design principles.
We will incorporate our privacy principles in the development and use of our AI technologies. We will give opportunity for notice and consent, encourage architectures with privacy safeguards, and provide appropriate transparency and control over the use of data.
6. Uphold high standards of scientific excellence.
Technological innovation is rooted in the scientific method and a commitment to open inquiry, intellectual rigor, integrity, and collaboration. AI tools have the potential to unlock new realms of scientific research and knowledge in critical domains like biology, chemistry, medicine, and environmental sciences. We aspire to high standards of scientific excellence as we work to progress AI development.
We will work with a range of stakeholders to promote thoughtful leadership in this area, drawing on scientifically rigorous and multidisciplinary approaches. And we will responsibly share AI knowledge by publishing educational materials, best practices, and research that enable more people to develop useful AI applications.
7. Be made available for uses that accord with these principles.
Many technologies have multiple uses. We will work to limit potentially harmful or abusive applications. As we develop and deploy AI technologies, we will evaluate likely uses in light of the following factors:
- Primary purpose and use: the primary purpose and likely use of a technology and application, including how closely the solution is related to or adaptable to a harmful us
- Nature and uniqueness: whether we are making available technology that is unique or more generally available
- Scale: whether the use of this technology will have significant impact
- Nature of Google’s involvement: whether we are providing general-purpose tools, integrating tools for customers, or developing custom solutions
