Introducing DarkBERT: Unveiling the Shadows of Artificial Intelligence

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𝐀𝐈 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐤𝐬.𝐢𝐨

4 min readJun 4, 2023

Artificial intelligence has revolutionized our lives with groundbreaking inventions, introducing us to various chatbots like ChatGPT, Bard, and Copy.ai, each equipped with their unique language models. However, in this article, I will introduce you to a distinct tool known as DarkBERT. While DarkBERT is not currently a chatbot itself, it holds the potential to be developed into one using its advanced language model capabilities.

Two red and blue robots that represent evil and good robot shutterstock image — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

We are all aware of how AI dives into our lives, right? And we are mostly talking about how useful to use AI tools. Of course, there are hot controversies about how AI can be harmful in the future, but we talk broadly about how positive is the invention nowadays. Let’s look at the darker side this time. I will talk about a real tool that has been developed: DarkBERT, the AI tool research that uses the dark web.

The internet we use right now is the visible side of it, the visible surface of the iceberg. So you can assume there are much more in the under, which we call the “dark web”. The visible side of the internet is the safe, innocent, and filtered side of the internet. Whilst the dark web is the side where there are no filters and all. The term “dark web” describes the portion of the internet that is hidden and inaccessible through standard search engines. It is renowned for being anonymous and unregulated and is frequently connected to illegal activities. So I recommend avoiding it. Since we covered the necessary information about the internet, it’s time to explore the main theme.

Dark Web, Its Impact on the Internet and the Society: A Review — Scientific Figure on ResearchGate. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Internet-illustrated-in-an-iceberg-Source-Extracted-from-11_fig2_357163863 [accessed 2 Jun 2023]

DarkBERT is a tool that has been developed by a group of experts as a study in 2021, and not available for public usage. The study says it has been developed by using dark web data to analyze the results and compare it to other AI tools that use the data of visible internet. They looked for the answers if the AI using the dark web can be more useful to other tools. To gain a comprehensive understanding, we will explore DarkBERT in three main areas:

Capabilities

Since our information is limited to this chatbot, the use of dark web data by DarkBERT gives it access to a vast database of data that goes beyond the visible web. DarkBERT can offer users distinctive insights, different viewpoints, and a more thorough grasp of numerous issues by tapping into this unexplored domain. DarkBERT is now equipped with a larger body of information, enabling it to provide more insightful responses and possibly provide a unique user experience. However, these are just expectations because there isn’t any access.

Database and Integration

DarkBERT has a unique database thanks to its integration into the dark web, which it uses to supplement conventional visible web data sources. DarkBERT improves its ability to produce accurate and thorough responses by merging these two sources. This connection improves the quality of interactions by allowing the chatbot to cover a larger range of subjects and provide consumers with a greater perspective. Keep in mind they limited DarkBERT’s work to store only raw text data, which means they prevented possible harmful, illicit content from the dark web (e.g. illicit pornography).

Ethics and Limitations

Although DarkBERT’s utilization of the dark web seems it has exciting opportunities, it also brings up ethical issues and constraints. The dark web’s lack of regulation creates issues with dependability, legality, and the possibility of being exposed to illegal content. To make sure that DarkBERT and the data it accesses are used responsibly, it is crucial to carefully traverse these ethical considerations and put in place protections.

Conclusion

This article provides an overview of DarkBERT’s capabilities, its integration with the dark web, and its ethical implications. Surely, AI is a nonstop developing field and it offers massive opportunities, so it absolutely makes sense to conduct research on how the internet’s invincible part would work together. Whilst there is already much going on about AI technology, implementing Dark Web into this could heat up the contradiction even more. However, technology means always evolving, and if there is a lack, there is a follow-up improvement. So I am sure following technology news, especially AI, is something very exciting for the ones interested. I certainly hope this article is too!

Demis Hassabis: “Artificial intelligence is the most powerful tool that humanity has ever created. It has the potential to solve some of the world’s biggest problems, but it also has the potential to be misused.”

Thanks for your time and reading!

Bugra Erdal

Also, Read

Introducing DarkBERT: Unveiling the Shadows of Artificial Intelligence

Capabilities

Database and Integration

Ethics and Limitations

Conclusion

Written by Bugra