Technology: ChatGPT & Artificial Intelligence

Introduction

In July 2019, Microsoft invested one billion dollars in a research lab called “OpenAI”. While relatively unknown at the time, this research lab would go on to pioneer a technological revolution. With the recent surge in the popularity of Artificial Intelligence, we now have access to new tools that allow us to generate art, music, and text using AI. In this article, we will be focusing on one of these tools - ChatGPT.

Explanation

GPT-3 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is an AI-based large language model developed by OpenAI. It has been trained on huge datasets of the web. ChatGPT is a chatbot built on top of GPT-3, capable of generating text - anything from engaging in simple conversations to writing poetry. Essentially, it’s an algorithm that’s “predicting the next word” based on what it has learnt from its training data. Its highlight feature comes from the “G” in its namethe fact that it is generative. Historically, most chatbots have used predefined scripts to answer questions, whereas ChatGPT comes up with new and original responses to prompts. Owing to its novelty, wide applicability and accessibility, ChatGPT has amassed over a hundred million monthly users within 60 days of its launch, making it the fastest-growing app ever.

Uses

So what are these 100 million users up to?

People are using ChatGPT (and GPT-3) for many things - the most common of which include drafting emails, writing basic code and essays covering certain topics. Some people, however, have taken things to another level. For example, there’s an AI-based infinitely-generated episode of a 90’s sitcom called “Seinfeld”, whose dialogue is written entirely using GPT-3. ChatGPT could also cause significant changes in fields like customer support and education. For example, in customer support, ChatGPT can be used to provide instant solutions to relatively simple problems, freeing up human agents to focus on more complex tasks.

Problems & Concerns

It’s not all good though. As with any new technology, there are a lot of concerns regarding the ethics and potential impact that ChatGPT and similar forms of AI could have on our society. ChatGPT is known to create inaccurate and potentially offensive content on occasion. While OpenAI has worked to circumvent the latter, it has sparked a debate around the censorship of AI. Should such an “all-knowing” technology be barred from discussing sensitive topics, and if so, who gets to decide what topics an AI can and can not “speak” about? Could we see selective censorship of AI, in ways similar to the internet in countries like China? There’s also a concern that the biases of the creators could be passed on to the AI - something that is already prevalent in other applications of AI.

Students have put ChatGPT to another use - doing their homework for them. A poll conducted by Stanford University found that over 17% of students had used the chatbot to assist them with their assignments. The emergence of ChatGPT presents a new challenge for education systems worldwide, as they will have to work to adapt and incorporate it into their curriculums since banning it outright isn’t possible. It could be a driving force for long overdue reforms in our education systems - especially in India.

Even scammers are using ChatGPT to generate fake emails. These are far more realistic than the broken English that is now one of the defining characteristics of spam mail.

Yet another issue comes from the fact that ChatGPT’s training data includes copyrighted works. The creators of Midjourney and similar AI image-generating platforms have been sued for training their models on artists’ creations without their consent. OpenAI could soon be facing similar legal battles.

Conclusion

Despite all this, OpenAI’s future seems bright, with Microsoft reportedly investing another $10 billion in the research lab. However, the future of AI and its potential impact isn’t as clear. New forms of technology generally follow a sigmoid curve. Early on, the pace of adoption is painfully slow and the public is apprehensive. The pace soon picks up exponentially and ultimately slows down after the technology becomes mainstream. If we’re just at the start of this curve, we could see AI starting a revolution bigger than the internet. Alternatively, if we’re close to the end of this curve, we may only see tools that automate tasks that require small amounts of cognition. Only time will tell.