Tris Warkentin - Introducing Gemma, Google's family of open models
Apr 4, 2024
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Tris Warkentin from Google DeepMind discusses Gemma, Google's family of open models, for achieving AGI. They explore Gemma's capabilities and ethical concerns, emphasizing responsible AI. The podcast covers AGI, tech industry start, and more in a fascinating AI discussion.
Introduction of Gemma, Google's open models, represents a monumental step for developer community empowerment.
Releasing generative models like Gemma underscores the need for Responsible AI measures to mitigate unethical use.
Tris Warkinton's journey from music to tech showcases the importance of diverse backgrounds in shaping AI innovation.
Deep dives
Introduction to Tris Warkinton's Background and Musical Roots
Tris Warkinton, a product manager at Google DeepMind, shared his atypical journey from growing up in Massachusetts in a musical family to initially aspiring to be a professional violinist. Despite his background in music, he developed a passion for technology, learning extensively about instruments and how they work, paralleling his interest in understanding computers and the internet. His early exposure to music instilled a sense of practice, focus, and appreciation for diverse perspectives, influencing his path towards technology.
Tris Warkinton's Transition into Tech and Early Interest in Programming
From an early age, Warkinton displayed a keen interest in technology, sparked by exposure to programming books at home. Learning basic and Pascal programming languages, he quickly embraced the idea of giving computers instructions and building things. His passion for technology led him to build his first computer from scratch and delve into understanding components and making informed choices, laying the foundation for his future career in tech.
Warkinton's Unconventional Tech Journey and Early Professional Experiences
Warkinton's unconventional path into tech included working at a startup in Cambridge, Massachusetts, focused on natural language search engines before transitioning into technical writing and product management roles. His exposure to AI and machine learning contributed to his evolving career, culminating in a pivotal move to Google as a product manager, where he played a key role in various AI projects and initiatives.
Tris Warkinton's Current Focus on Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and Gemma Launch
Currently, Warkinton leads efforts at Google DeepMind towards achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), emphasizing the transformative potential of AI for humanity. He played a pivotal role in launching Gemma, an open model family aimed at developers and researchers. Gemma's release marked a significant step towards making advanced AI tools more accessible and empowering the community to innovate with AI technologies.
Embracing Responsibility and Community Engagement in AI Development
Warkinton advocates for responsible AI development, prioritizing safety measures and transparency in model releases. He stresses the importance of engaging the community, fostering collaboration, and ensuring open models are developed with societal well-being in mind. By balancing innovation with risk mitigation, Warkinton underscores the importance of building AI tools that benefit humanity as a whole.
Meet Tris Warkentin, Product Management lead for Google DeepMind’s next-generation AI research, working to achieve Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Learn about the Gemini ecosystem and Google’s newest family of open models, Gemma! Discover what it can do and why this is a monumental step for the developer community. Unpack the power and exciting new capabilities this will unleash in the hands of developers and how this has been a long tradition in Google history. Dive into what it means to release a generative model like this into the public, addressing potential concerns and the Responsible AI measures in place to mitigate unethical use. Learn about AGI, Tris’s start in the tech industry as a technical writing intern, and more on this People of AI episode hosted by Ashley and Gus!