Exploring ChatGPT leaves just as many questions as answers
By now, you have probably heard about ChatGPT, a chat-based artificial intelligence (AI) model that studies human language and can not only answer questions like a search engine, but can also summarize and analyze large amounts of data.
But why don’t I let ChatGPT tell you about itself? When I asked ChatGPT to explain what it was, this is the answer I got back: “ChatGPT is a large language model created by OpenAI (a San Francisco-based AI company), capable of generating human-like responses to natural language inputs. It is trained on vast amounts of text data using deep learning techniques to understand the nuances and complexities of human language. ChatGPT can converse on a wide range of topics and is continually learning from new data to improve its responses. Its capabilities extend beyond simple question-answering to more advanced tasks, such as language translation, summarization, and even creative writing. ChatGPT has the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with technology and each other.”
Users can sign up for ChatGPT for free online, type in questions and ChatGPT will generate a real-time response. The possibilities are endless. For example, you could ask Chat-GPT to come up with names for a pet, create a to-do list for a party, solve complex math equations, write a song or poem, write a computer code, extract the main points from a block of text or write a five-paragraph essay on Harriet Tubman (the possibilities for cheating with this are concerning). ChatGPT also remembers what was said previously in the conversation, so the more information you put in, the more fine-tuned the answers become. With each new inquiry, ChatGPT learns more about you.
“I ask ChatGPT to become aware of where my biases and blindspots might be, and the answers it gives are a really, really good starting point to check your thinking,” Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of online course provider Coursera, told CBS MoneyWatch.
The GPT in ChatGPT stands for “Generative Pre-training Transformer.”
“Generative is a model that can generate text. Pre-training relates to the fact that the model has an enormous amount of data in it. The transformer in GPT refers to the architecture of the AI model. Hence, ChatGPT simply means that this AI is capable of handling both long and short requests. It can also generate text of variable length as per the user’s command,” Roopashree Sharma of Jagran Josh, an Indian academic test prep website, explains.
Silicon Valley figures Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, and Linkedin co-founder Reid Hoffman jointly contributed $1 billion to start OpenAI in 2015. OpenAI launched Chat-GPT on Nov. 30 of last year and it quickly went viral on social media, as people were amazed with its capabilities to write code, recipes, essays and more. Within five days, the bot had more than a million users.
Business executives are already finding many uses for ChatGPT, Megan Cerullo reports for CBSMoneyWatch, as chatbots are already skilled at writing things like an ad copy, human resources letters or boilerplate copy (i.e. the standard “About Us” section found in press releases). Nearly 30 percent of U.S. professionals say they have already used ChatGPT or other AI tools for a work-related task. This is according to a recent survey of 4,500 employees by Fishbowl, a social network owned by career services firm Glassdoor.
MIT labor economics professor David Autor said that AI bots will mainly affect clerical and administrative workers.
“The jobs that are most likely to be displaced (involve) mundane tasks like writing a basic ad copy or the first draft of a legal document. Those are expert skills, and there is no question that software will make them cheaper and therefore devalue human labor,” Autor said in speaking to CBS MoneyWatch.
Time will tell if AI will result in the elimination of large numbers of jobs or, in a better scenario, the improvement of existing jobs with certain tasks being automated so workers can devote more time to more important tasks.
As many capabilities as ChatGPT has, it raises the question: Can technology truly match human emotion? Further, what areas should be considered off limits? You may have heard how Vanderbilt University recently took a lot of heat for using ChatGPT to generate a community-wide letter about the Michigan State University shooting.
“The recent Michigan shootings are a tragic reminder of the importance of taking care of each other, particularly in the context of creating inclusive environments,” the letter’s opening line read. “As members of the Peabody campus community, we must reflect on the impact of such an event and take steps to ensure that we are doing our best to create a safe and inclusive environment for all.” Many readers thought the letter was generic-sounding, only to find a disclaimer in fine print at the bottom of the letter stating that the whole letter was a “paraphrase from OpenAI’s ChatGPT AI language model.” Understandably, this rubbed students and community members the wrong way, because it suggested the university was more concerned about giving the public perception that it cared, than actually caring.
Obviously AI cannot express true human emotion; it doesn’t have a soul.
“(AI) does not possess true emotional intelligence. It cannot detect subtle emotional cues or respond appropriately to complex emotional situations,” Bernard Marr writes for Forbes.
I recently read a story about a “companion robot” for elderly adults that live alone. The robot is meant to combat social isolation by making small talk and playing games with the elderly person, reminding them to take their medications and making video calls to family members. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but the danger is if robot interaction replaces human interaction. There is no substitute for that human connection, and we’re disconnected enough as a society as it is.
OpenAI has a host of other products that I don’t have space to get into here, but they’re worth checking out at openai.com.
It’s a crazy technological world we are living in, one that will no doubt require wisdom and discernment in how to use these technological advancements without taking them too far.
Striking a
Chord...
