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Incident 17: Inappropriate Gmail Smart Reply Suggestions

Description: Google's Gmail Smart Reply tool was over-recommending the response "I love you" in situations where it was deemed innappropriate.

Tools

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Entities

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Alleged: Google developed and deployed an AI system, which harmed Gmail Users.

Incident Stats

Incident ID
17
Report Count
22
Incident Date
2015-11-03
Editors
Sean McGregor
Applied Taxonomies
CSETv0, CSETv1, GMF, MIT

CSETv1 Taxonomy Classifications

Taxonomy Details

Incident Number

The number of the incident in the AI Incident Database.
 

17

Special Interest Intangible Harm

An assessment of whether a special interest intangible harm occurred. This assessment does not consider the context of the intangible harm, if an AI was involved, or if there is characterizable class or subgroup of harmed entities. It is also not assessing if an intangible harm occurred. It is only asking if a special interest intangible harm occurred.
 

no

Date of Incident Year

The year in which the incident occurred. If there are multiple harms or occurrences of the incident, list the earliest. If a precise date is unavailable, but the available sources provide a basis for estimating the year, estimate. Otherwise, leave blank. Enter in the format of YYYY
 

2017

Date of Incident Month

The month in which the incident occurred. If there are multiple harms or occurrences of the incident, list the earliest. If a precise date is unavailable, but the available sources provide a basis for estimating the month, estimate. Otherwise, leave blank. Enter in the format of MM
 

11

Date of Incident Day

The day on which the incident occurred. If a precise date is unavailable, leave blank. Enter in the format of DD
 

03

Estimated Date

“Yes” if the data was estimated. “No” otherwise.
 

Yes

CSETv0 Taxonomy Classifications

Taxonomy Details

Problem Nature

Indicates which, if any, of the following types of AI failure describe the incident: "Specification," i.e. the system's behavior did not align with the true intentions of its designer, operator, etc; "Robustness," i.e. the system operated unsafely because of features or changes in its environment, or in the inputs the system received; "Assurance," i.e. the system could not be adequately monitored or controlled during operation.
 

Specification

Physical System

Where relevant, indicates whether the AI system(s) was embedded into or tightly associated with specific types of hardware.
 

Software only

Level of Autonomy

The degree to which the AI system(s) functions independently from human intervention. "High" means there is no human involved in the system action execution; "Medium" means the system generates a decision and a human oversees the resulting action; "low" means the system generates decision-support output and a human makes a decision and executes an action.
 

High

Nature of End User

"Expert" if users with special training or technical expertise were the ones meant to benefit from the AI system(s)’ operation; "Amateur" if the AI systems were primarily meant to benefit the general public or untrained users.
 

Amateur

Public Sector Deployment

"Yes" if the AI system(s) involved in the accident were being used by the public sector or for the administration of public goods (for example, public transportation). "No" if the system(s) were being used in the private sector or for commercial purposes (for example, a ride-sharing company), on the other.
 

No

Data Inputs

A brief description of the data that the AI system(s) used or were trained on.
 

email text

MIT Taxonomy Classifications

Machine-Classified
Taxonomy Details

Risk Subdomain

A further 23 subdomains create an accessible and understandable classification of hazards and harms associated with AI
 

7.3. Lack of capability or robustness

Risk Domain

The Domain Taxonomy of AI Risks classifies risks into seven AI risk domains: (1) Discrimination & toxicity, (2) Privacy & security, (3) Misinformation, (4) Malicious actors & misuse, (5) Human-computer interaction, (6) Socioeconomic & environmental harms, and (7) AI system safety, failures & limitations.
 
  1. AI system safety, failures, and limitations

Entity

Which, if any, entity is presented as the main cause of the risk
 

AI

Timing

The stage in the AI lifecycle at which the risk is presented as occurring
 

Post-deployment

Intent

Whether the risk is presented as occurring as an expected or unexpected outcome from pursuing a goal
 

Unintentional

Incident Reports

Reports Timeline

+9
Google's Smart Reply Lets a Computer Answer Your Emails for You
Google's Smart Reply: Convenience Over Connection+11
Ranking Gmail’s AI Fueled Smart Replies
Google's Smart Reply Lets a Computer Answer Your Emails for You

Google's Smart Reply Lets a Computer Answer Your Emails for You

popularmechanics.com

Google Inbox Suggests Replies for Incoming Email

Google Inbox Suggests Replies for Incoming Email

techlicious.com

Google Inbox's new Smart Replies uses machine learning to speed up email responses

Google Inbox's new Smart Replies uses machine learning to speed up email responses

greenbot.com

Soon, Gmail's AI Could Reply to Your Email for You

Soon, Gmail's AI Could Reply to Your Email for You

wired.com

Computer, respond to this email: Introducing Smart Reply in Inbox by Gmail

Computer, respond to this email: Introducing Smart Reply in Inbox by Gmail

blog.google

New Gmail feature scans your emails and suggests replies

New Gmail feature scans your emails and suggests replies

money.cnn.com

Google's new email feature will write replies for you

Google's new email feature will write replies for you

mashable.com

Google’s New Autoreply Sounds Great!!!!

Google’s New Autoreply Sounds Great!!!!

newyorker.com

Google's Email Replying AI Keeps Saying It Loves You

Google's Email Replying AI Keeps Saying It Loves You

escapistmagazine.com

Google's Smart Reply: Convenience Over Connection

Google's Smart Reply: Convenience Over Connection

thetechnoskeptic.com

Ranking Gmail’s AI Fueled Smart Replies

Ranking Gmail’s AI Fueled Smart Replies

nymag.com

Gmail's Smart Reply Blurs the Line Between People and Brands

Gmail's Smart Reply Blurs the Line Between People and Brands

dailydot.com

Is This Article Worth Reading? Gmail’s Suggested Reply: ‘Haha, Thanks!’

Is This Article Worth Reading? Gmail’s Suggested Reply: ‘Haha, Thanks!’

wsj.com

Gmail Smart Reply goofed w/ 'Sent from my iPhone'

Gmail Smart Reply goofed w/ 'Sent from my iPhone'

9to5google.com

Gmail users will be able to opt out of Smart Replies on desktop

Gmail users will be able to opt out of Smart Replies on desktop

engadget.com

Smart Reply Not Smart Enough? Desktop Gmail Users Can Soon Opt Out

Smart Reply Not Smart Enough? Desktop Gmail Users Can Soon Opt Out

digitaltrends.com

Neira Jones on Twitter

Neira Jones on Twitter

twitter.com

You can turn off Gmail's creepy Smart Replies on desktop too - just not yet

You can turn off Gmail's creepy Smart Replies on desktop too - just not yet

trustedreviews.com

Google tweaked its Smart Reply feature because it would repeatedly suggest users send 'I love you'

Google tweaked its Smart Reply feature because it would repeatedly suggest users send 'I love you'

dailymail.co.uk

Google changed Gmail's Smart Reply after AI kept suggesting I love you

Google changed Gmail's Smart Reply after AI kept suggesting I love you

businessinsider.com

Gmail smart compose: Will it change how we write emails?

Gmail smart compose: Will it change how we write emails?

qz.com

Google ends support for Reply, which added smart replies to third-party apps

Google ends support for Reply, which added smart replies to third-party apps

theverge.com

Google's Smart Reply Lets a Computer Answer Your Emails for You
popularmechanics.com · 2015

Just a few months ago, Google really started showing off its newest secret weapon: a robot brain that learns. Using machine learning algorithms that actually get smarter as they practice, Google's been able to identify your loved ones in yo…

Google Inbox Suggests Replies for Incoming Email
techlicious.com · 2015

Replying to routine email requests just got easier with a new smart reply feature for Gmail users who get their email through Google Inbox. Starting this week, the app's Smart Reply feature will analyze incoming email messages and offer a s…

Google Inbox's new Smart Replies uses machine learning to speed up email responses
greenbot.com · 2015

Not every email deserves a handcrafted response. Sometimes, all it takes is a sentence to answer the one burning question that someone has dropped in your inbox, which is why Google is using the power of machine learning to make email triag…

Soon, Gmail's AI Could Reply to Your Email for You
wired.com · 2015

Ever wished your phone could automatically reply to your email messages?

Well, Google just unveiled technology that's at least moving in that direction. Using what's called "deep learning"—a form of artificial intelligence that's rapidly re…

Computer, respond to this email: Introducing Smart Reply in Inbox by Gmail
blog.google · 2015

There's actually a lot going on behind the scenes to make Smart Reply work. Inbox uses machine learning to recognize emails that need responses and to generate the natural language responses on the fly. If you're interested in how Smart Rep…

New Gmail feature scans your emails and suggests replies
money.cnn.com · 2015

Google will soon scan the content of your emails and serve up what it thinks is the perfect reply.

The new feature, called Smart Reply, identifies Gmail emails that require a response and presents three options for replies. Smart Reply will…

Google's new email feature will write replies for you
mashable.com · 2015

When Google launched Inbox, its most recent email app from the Gmail team, it touted the app's ability to act almost like an assistant. Now, a year later, Google is making the app more like an aide than ever.

The company will soon be rollin…

Google’s New Autoreply Sounds Great!!!!
newyorker.com · 2015

On April 1, 2009, Google unveiled Gmail Autopilot, a plug-in that promised to read and generate contextually relevant replies to the messages piling up in users’ inboxes. “As more and more everyday communication takes place over email, lots…

Google's Email Replying AI Keeps Saying It Loves You
escapistmagazine.com · 2015

A system Google designed for replying to emails proved a little friendlier than anyone expected.

There are quite a few humans out there who are absolutely convinced robots will kill us the moment they become self-aware. But what if the exac…

Google's Smart Reply: Convenience Over Connection
thetechnoskeptic.com · 2017

If you use Google products for email, you may have noticed those suggested replies at the bottom of your mobile inbox. These give users options to choose short and snappy responses to emails, such as, “Will do,” “I am working on that now,” …

Ranking Gmail’s AI Fueled Smart Replies
nymag.com · 2018

Image: Google: Photo: Konstantin Sergeyev

The most recognizable feature of Gmail’s newly rolled-out redesign is the so-called smart reply, wherein bots offer three one-click responses to each mail message. Say your email contains the words …

Gmail's Smart Reply Blurs the Line Between People and Brands
dailydot.com · 2018

“Thanks for letting me know.”

Have you noticed an uptick in this phrase appearing in emails, on social media, and IRL? Do you find yourself saying it even though maybe a year ago you would never use the phrase? Is there a new wave of semi-f…

Is This Article Worth Reading? Gmail’s Suggested Reply: ‘Haha, Thanks!’
wsj.com · 2018

When Jess Klein emailed her mother to make plans, the response startled her.

“Cool, see you there.”

Ms. Klein, a 38-year-old from Brooklyn, was suspicious. “Why is my mom talking like a Valley Girl?” she wondered.

She...

Gmail Smart Reply goofed w/ 'Sent from my iPhone'
9to5google.com · 2018

The Wall Street Journal is out today with a quick story on the rollout and reception of Gmail’s new Smart Reply feature, and it comes with a few interesting bits of information and anecdotes from random users and Google alike — one of which…

Gmail users will be able to opt out of Smart Replies on desktop
engadget.com · 2018

Around 10 percent of Gmail responses are now generated with the Smart Reply feature, according to the Wall Street Journal, and it has been available on Gmail apps since last year. Ajit Varma, Google's director of product management, told th…

Smart Reply Not Smart Enough? Desktop Gmail Users Can Soon Opt Out
digitaltrends.com · 2018

After users complained that Gmail’s Smart Reply wasn’t so smart, Google announced that it will soon give desktop users the ability to disable the A.I.-based feature. Although the time-saving feature relies on artificial intelligence to come…

Neira Jones on Twitter
twitter.com · 2018

Romantic AI: Google Had to Change Gmail's New Smart Reply Responses Because it Kept Suggesting "I Love You"

You can turn off Gmail's creepy Smart Replies on desktop too - just not yet
trustedreviews.com · 2018

How do you feel about Gmail’s new Smart Reply tool? We’re hearing mixed reports. On one hand it’s super handy to be able to tap/click that “Thank you so much!” button when you’re in a rush.

However, users are reporting the suggestions aren’…

Google tweaked its Smart Reply feature because it would repeatedly suggest users send 'I love you'
dailymail.co.uk · 2018

Google recently made its handy 'Smart Reply' feature available to Gmail's 1 billion-plus users.

But early prototypes of the tool didn't work so seamlessly, according to the Wall Street Journal.

In one case, the algorithms powering Gmail's '…

Google changed Gmail's Smart Reply after AI kept suggesting I love you
businessinsider.com · 2018

A few days ago, I received a short, effective email in my inbox: "Sounds good!"

I had to pause. Although that was the response I wanted — I was arranging a meeting — I wondered: Did he really send that, or did he simply hit Google's automat…

Gmail smart compose: Will it change how we write emails?
qz.com · 2018

From: Corinne Purtill (Quartz)

To: Corinne Purtill (Gmail)

Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 11:08 AM

At its annual developers conference earlier this year Google introduced “smart compose,” a new Gmail feature that helps users complete their sentences. …

Google ends support for Reply, which added smart replies to third-party apps
theverge.com · 2018

Google will no longer continue support for Reply, an experimental app that offers smart reply responses to various messaging apps such as Slack, Hangouts, and Messenger. The app launched earlier this year as part of Google’s Area 120 divisi…

Variants

A "variant" is an incident that shares the same causative factors, produces similar harms, and involves the same intelligent systems as a known AI incident. Rather than index variants as entirely separate incidents, we list variations of incidents under the first similar incident submitted to the database. Unlike other submission types to the incident database, variants are not required to have reporting in evidence external to the Incident Database. Learn more from the research paper.

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