ChatGPT and the AI challenge

In Context

• There is a great deal of speculation about how the recently launched ChatGPT will impact a huge number of human job roles, from customer service to computer programming. 

More about the Chat GPT

• About:
  • ChatGPT is a chatbot launched by OpenAI in November 2022.
  • Chat-GPT is a variant of the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) language model. 
  • OpenAI, in a revolutionary move, also created a user interface that is letting the general public experiment with it directly.
• Functions:
  • Core function:
    • Like other language models, Chat-GPT is designed to generate human-like text based on the input it receives. 
    • It is trained on a large text dataset and can generate a wide range of responses to various prompts and questions.
    • This helps them mimic speech patterns while dispatching encyclopedic knowledge.
      • Basically, that means that it’s a computer program that can understand and “talk” to us in a way that’s very close to conversing with an actual human. 
      • A very clever and knowledgeable human at that, who knows around 175 billion pieces of information and is able to recall any of them almost instantly.
  • Other functions:
    • Although the core function of a chatbot is to mimic a human conversationalist, ChatGPT is versatile. 
    • For example, it can write and debug computer programs, to compose music, teleplays, fairy tales, and student essays; to answer test questions (sometimes, depending on the test, at a level above the average human test-taker).
• Sefeguards provided by OpenAI:
  • OpenAI, creators of GPT-3 and ChatGPT, have included some fairly rigorous safeguards that prevent it, in theory, from being used for malicious purposes. 
  • This is done by filtering content to look for phrases that suggest someone is attempting to put it to such use.
• Developments from other tech companies:
  • Other tech companies like Google and Meta have developed their own large language model tools, which use programs that take in human prompts and devise sophisticated responses. 
  • Microsoft is integrating the bot with its search engine, Bing, and other products.

Significance of Chat GPT

• Increased productivity:
  • Having Chat GPT implemented can help businesses improve their efficiency, allowing them to provide better and faster service to their clients.
• Reduced Expenses:
  • Providing support and customer care using ChatGPT can be accomplished at a very reasonable cost. 
  • Having ChatGPT will allow businesses to hire less number of customer care personnel to handle client inquiries, which in turn will lower the overhead costs of the firm.
• Increased Accuracy:
  • As more data is gathered and the model is fine-tuned on specific tasks, the generated text is expected to increase in both its accuracy and its coherence.
• Quick responses:
  • With ChatGPT you can be sure of quick responses. GPT can promptly respond to incoming messages. It makes real-time conversations a breeze.
• Support for Various Languages:
  • ChatGPT is beneficial for individuals and businesses who wish to communicate with speakers of other languages, as OpenAI works on models that support several languages. 

Limitations

• Chat-GPT and other language models have some limitations. 
• No access to internet:
  • Chat-GPT and other language models do not have access to the internet or external information, so they can only provide responses based on the information that they have been trained on. 
  • This means that they may not be able to provide up-to-date or accurate information about current events or recent developments. 
• Not a perfect tool:
  • Language models may not always produce responses that are completely coherent or make sense in the context of the conversation.
  • OpenAI acknowledged that ChatGPT “sometimes writes plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers”.
• Limitation in comprehension:
  • Another limitation of language models is that they do not have the ability to understand or interpret the meaning of words and phrases in the same way that humans do. 
  • They are simply able to generate text based on patterns and relationships that they have learned from their training data. 
  • This means that they may not always be able to provide nuanced or sophisticated responses to more complex or abstract questions.
• Limited Knowledge:
  • ChatGPT has limited knowledge of events that occurred after 2021. 
  • According to the BBC, as of December 2022, ChatGPT is not allowed to “express political opinions or engage in political activism”.

Challenges

• Implications in various fields:
  • The AI revolution is likely to have serious implications on labour, education, authenticity of content and its authorship, and much else. 
  • Fear is that many white-collar jobs may become redundant in the coming years, as AI becomes more ubiquitous and sophisticated.
• Lack of safeguards:
  • There are no parallel safeguards drawn for this innovation in education, regulatory and labour codes.
• Lack of policy:
  • The lag between technology innovation and policy that was seen with the rise of Big Data and social media can serve as a lesson.

Way ahead

• Elon Musk wrote that “ChatGPT is scary good. We are not far from dangerously strong AI”.
• Anticipating possible futures requires engagement with the opportunities and challenges flagged by ChatGPT. 
  • Current requirement is mapping out and planning for the changes that will be required in the education system, labour codes and new commodities that are bound to emerge as a result.