April 20, 2024

Not just #Bard: remembering 5 embarrassing tech demo epic fails that wiped out billions

A screenshot shared by Google of Bards generative abilities. Credit: Google.

Ironically, thats a really common mistake people make, so Bart ended up to provide a reasonably natural human reaction, confusion and all– however the factor we want machines performing this work in the top place is that we anticipate them to be precise and precise!

Similar to ChatGPT, Bard is a conversational AI that is able to create compelling actions to users triggers by leveraging large chests of information that Google has access to it. The ramifications of this innovation for search are massive, but despite the buzz, Googles bot isnt off to a terrific start.

Not to be a ~ well, in fact ~ jerk, and Im sure Bard will be excellent, but for the record: JWST did not take “the very first picture of a planet outside our solar system”. the first image was instead done by Chauvin et al. (2004) with the VLT/NACO utilizing adaptive optics. https://t.co/bSBb5TOeUW pic.twitter.com/KnrZ1SSz7h— Grant Tremblay (@astrogrant) February 7, 2023

For the record, the very first image of a planet outside our planetary system– understood as an exoplanet– was taken 14 years prior to JWSTs launch. This distinction comes from European Southern Observatorys Very Large Telescope, which made such pioneering observations in 2003. JWST did certainly take a photo of an exoplanet in 2022, when it snapped a direct image of a far-off world about 7 times heavier than Jupiter, located in the HIP 65426 galaxy. That was JWSTs first photo of an exoplanet, which Bard probably confused for the first photo of an exoplanet ever.

If it wasnt completely incorrect, thats would have been a pretty excellent distillation of recent news in astronomy by a device–.

This week, the tech markets darling Google went through among its most embarrassing flops ever. Desperate to overtake the Microsoft-backed ChatGPT, the present leading generative AI platform that has actually raked in more than 200 million users in simply two months from launch, Google quickly revealed its completing platform, called Bard, on Monday.

Picture this: you have an item that isnt released yet, and people are already calling it a failure. Thats a damning slip-up, one that cost Google and its shareholders very much. Once Bards mistake was commonly revealed on Wednesday, it cleaned $100 billion off Alphabets stock, Googles moms and dad business, with shares plunging by more than 10% at its least expensive low.

In among Googles demos, a shared GIF that was indicated to display Bards superhuman capabilities to address almost any question reliably and concisely in fact backfired badly. The GIF showed Bard responding to the concern: “What brand-new discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope can I inform my 9-year-old about?” Bard used a three-bullet point response, including the assertion that JWST is the telescope that “took the extremely first photos of a planet outside of our own solar system.”

As far as product demonstrations go, this is quite terrible. Its not the first time weve seen a high-flying technology business humiliate itself. Its been a while but do you keep in mind that time when:

1. Steve Jobs elegant new iPhone didnt link to WiFi survive on stage

Apple CEO Steve Jobs demonstration of the new iPhone 4 and iOS 4.0 abilities in 2010 concerned an abrupt halt throughout a high-profile occasion in San Francisco. Jobs was practically to show the brand-new iPhones high-density screen however he might not get example websites to load.

Jobs fumbled about on stage while he looked perplexed at the 404 errors on his screen, prior to pleading to the audience loaded with designers, reporters, and bloggers to shut off their WiFi to spare bandwidth for his presentation. An audience member even screamed Try Verizon!, mocking Apples unique offer that it had with AT&T at the time. Not an excellent search for Apple, thats for sure.

2. That time Volvo crashed a car throughout a demonstration (twice).

Instead of the vehicle noticing a challenge (read, test dummy reporters) and hitting the brakes by itself, the car literally rolled over 2 people (they just had a couple of scratches, but still …). Mamma mia!

” So, women and gentlemen, we have some type of accident in the testing here …” stated the uncomfortable voice of a Volvo spokesperson, during a test that was supposed to show off the Swedish car makers new automatic parking for the C60. But mishap is a gross euphemism given that the cars and truck didnt simply miss out on the parking area, however slammed right into a truck, practically catastrophically damaging the car. Ill park that automobile myself, thank you!

You d believe Volvo would have learned from this, uhm, accident, but then it welcomed journalists again to witness the businesss brand-new automatic braking system. These bad souls wouldve been much better recommended to go to their local council conference.

3. When Hondas Asimo robotic took a nasty fall.

Japan has a long history of quality in robotics, however you d never inform if you were in the audience of this 2006 epic stop working.

Hondas $1 million humanoid robot Asimo was made by Honda with the objective of ending up being the ultimate assistant, butler, house maid, buddy, you name it. Asimo can recognize faces and voices with stereoscopic cameras and a trio of head-mounted microphones. It can welcome you, serve you a drink from a tray, and escort you to the proper meeting space. Its a quite advanced robot. But it has one weak point: its undersized legs.

During a demonstration, a Honda-affiliated presenter introduces Asimo on phase and welcomes the robotic to climb up a flight of stairs. Asimo turns its head 90 degrees towards the audience as it starts ascending the stairs with confidence. All seemed to go well for a number of seconds until catastrophe struck and Asimo fell back, stimulates flying about. Right away, a robo-medic comes to the scene and installs a shader in between the robot and the audience to spare everybody the humiliation. It is, however, all meaningless as Asimo is still mumbling in the background. Well all most likely pay for this throughout the upcoming very first robot uprising.

4. Teslas Cybertruck shattered bulletproof window.

This wouldnt have actually been a compilation of epic tech fails worth your time if it didnt include the most socially uncomfortable yet at the very same time the most desperate attention-seeking billionaire in the world: Elon Musk.

According to a rumor, Musk initially recommended that they fire a gun at the truck– ideally jokingly– but cooler heads prevailed that night. Musk?

The Cybertrucks window was hit by a sledgehammer, which it incredibly endured. When Musk invited somebody on phase to toss a large steel ball at the lorry, this time the window split. Musk attempted the person to try again, and once again a second window cracked, accompanied by the billionaires phony laugh in the background, who was most likely thinking about the number of people he must fire at that minute.

In 2019, Tesla revealed a futuristic, stainless-steel, angular design for a brand-new electric vehicle called the Cybertruck. Stainless-steel is incredibly durable, which should assist protect guests in the occasion of an accident. Tesla engineers probably realized theres no point in having a strong chassis if there are other weak areas, such as the windows, which brings us to Teslas Armored Glass and the occurring epic fail when Cybertruck was very first revealed in Hawthorne, California.

5. Expense Gates blue screen of death.

Every Windows user has had at least one encounter with the feared Blue Screen of Death (aka BSOD) on a desktop computer. This generally disliked interface is expected to pass on details on why the Windows-powered computer system crashed. This has actually occurred to everybody, I do not require to go into any specifics, however whats funny is that this also taken place to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates some 25 years back.

Not to be a ~ well, actually ~ jerk, and Im sure Bard will be outstanding, however for the record: JWST did not take “the really first image of a world outside our solar system”. Thats a damning fault, one that cost Google and its shareholders a lot. As soon as Bards error was widely exposed on Wednesday, it cleaned $100 billion off Alphabets stock, Googles parent company, with shares plunging by more than 10% at its lowest low.

In one of Googles demonstrations, a shared GIF that was implied to reveal off Bards superhuman abilities to address nearly any concern reliably and concisely actually backfired terribly. That was JWSTs first picture of an exoplanet, which Bard probably confused for the first photo of an exoplanet ever.

This wouldve been great if Gates met a dose of his own medicine in his personal office, however this time it happened live on stage while he was sharing the phase with Microsoft VP of Marketing Chris Capossela, while the two were demoing a new plug and play feature for Windows 98. Heaven Screen of death still exists on the current versions of Windows, and it appears that Microsoft would never ditch it.