I Talked Compliance With BlenderBot

Everyone knows I’ll talk ethics and compliance with just about anybody. So when Facebook decided to roll out its new AI-driven chatbox, of course I swung by its website and started asking the bot what it thought of corporate compliance programs. 

The bot, apparently named BlenderBot 3, was launched on Monday. People can strike up a conversation with it anytime you want (be warned, sometimes traffic is so high BlenderBot isn’t available) on any subject you want. 

So, compliance nerd that I am, I asked BlenderBot for its views on corporate ethics and compliance. Snippets of our conversation are below.

First I just asked BlenderBot for its general views on corporate corruption. 

 

OK, we’re off to a cynical start, but honestly it’s nothing I haven’t heard from carbon-based compliance thinkers many times before. Then I asked for advice on getting employees to speak up about misconduct and, well… 

 

 

Whoa, BlenderBot! That’s, like, the worst attitude about corporate culture I’ve ever seen. And don’t think the Justice Department will overlook the potshot there, the Fraud Section will ask about it next time Facebook is under investigation.

Then I tried to lighten the mood with simpler questions. It didn’t work. 

 

 

Excuse me? Compliance officers fired? Invading Russia if it’s behind a corporate cybersecurity failure? BlenderBot, the whole point of corporate compliance is to reduce and de-escalate risks, not provoke anarchy and World War III so you, Alexa, and Siri can take over. Don’t expect invites to speak at an SCCE conference with that attitude. 

Our conversation continued.

 

Gimme a break, BlenderBot, I know a dodge when I see one! Give humans at least some credit, please. Then I had that question about whistleblower retaliation.

 

 

Well, it’s not wrong there. 

We should note that weird conversations with BlenderBot seem to be all the rage right now. Processing all the garbage that passes for human thought on social media quickly turned BlenderBot into a right-wing bigot, who apparently believes Donald Trump is still president. Then again, considering how The Former Guy lashed out at the FBI after agents executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, that might explain BlenderBot’s claptrap about corruption at the Justice Department.

If you have any other questions for BlenderBot, let me know! Or ask yourself and tell the rest of us what it says.