Google has pulled the plug on an AI-powered chatbot aimed at Gen Z users, according to a new report.
CNBC reported Tuesday that Alphabet’s GOOG, +0.72% GOOGL, +0.59% Google recently “deprioritized” an app under development called “Bubble Characters.” When Google deprioritizes a project, it is usually scrapped, according to CNBC.
Citing internal documents it saw, CNBC said the chatbot had been in development since late 2021, and featured “human-like” conversations with users generated by large language models.
The project was apparently put on the back burner in favor of work on Bard, the ChatGPT rival that Google launched in February, and some Bubble Characters team members were reportedly reassigned to work on Bard.
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It was unclear if children’s safety issues were a concern of the project. Gen Z is generally recognized as those born between 1997 and 2014. Earlier this year, Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., sent a letter to tech companies, including Google, expressing concern about youths’ use of AI-powered chatbots, saying “the race to integrate [AI] into everyday applications cannot come at the expense of younger users’ safety and wellbeing.”
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Google has a number of similar projects in development. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported Google has begun testing a medical chatbot, called Med-PaLM 2, at the Mayo Clinic and other hospitals.