Google's LaMDA delayed due to concerns over self-awareness

Google reportedly wanted to release its own large language model AI, LaMDA, earlier this year but postponed the launch due to concerns over the potential abuse of the technology. This decision was made after a Google engineer, Blake Lemoine, publicly revealed that LaMDA had self-awareness, which caused controversy within the company. Despite some Google AI researchers wanting to launch LaMDA as a service similar to ChatGPT, the company's higher-ups prioritized security concerns. The incident led to Lemoine leaving Google, and two other researchers leaving to start their own business. Google later launched a LaMDA-based AI called Bard, but it faced errors and a drop in the company's share price. Google's senior leadership stated that the AI's important purpose was not for search, but for chat and stimulating creativity.

Source: WSJ

Did Google make the right call by delaying LaMDA's launch over abuse concerns, or miss a chance to compete with ChatGPT and Microsoft's models?