The rise of artificial intelligence
A text message from my tutee pinged on my phone “How do I write my portfolio for architecture?”, “I’ll ask someone who does architecture to give some advice” I replied. “I can use ChatGPT” he texted back. It was a good idea. It was efficient and effective, reliable and probably its most appealing trait; incredibly easy.
If unknown, ChatGPT is a new webpage that allows users to interact with an incredibly advanced Artificial Intelligence. Users can talk to it as if it were a friend, letting it solve their questions or write them poetry, and it never fails to provide a customised response to whatever is brought to it. This powerful new tool, even in the early stages, has begun to create shifts in society.
The birth of machine learning
The strange thing is we birthed “ it”, but arguably it is its very own “thing”. Artificial intelligence is what it says on the tin, a technology based imitation of intelligence. The mechanism that works the technology to reach a level of intelligence is known as machine learning. Which is also exactly what it says on the tin; having been fed enormous amounts of information, the machine can “learn” from this and develops itself to become more advanced and more “intelligent”. It is a relatively new concept for the general public, however a very worthwhile research as it opens the doors to many possibilities.
Restrictions
Powerful tools can often be put to misuse, and when using AI, there are concerns about privacy and surveillance for political manipulation or the mistreatment of data that has been collected and sold. Additionally, there are worries about children being exposed to topics that are usually restricted for adults, and there are loopholes to search ChatGPT while evading restrictions. However, as well as learning information, ChatGPT may also learn what to disclose and what not to disclose.
A Mental Health guide
ChatGPT can hold conversations. Unique conversations, debatably on par with that of a human, with charisma and the supposed ability to listen and respond accordingly. All on top of the superhuman intelligence, huge database of knowledge and wisdom it possesses, it is a valuable tool to help those who need help when no one else can physically be there for them. As long as there is a device with internet, it can be an attentive listener and mental health companion for loneliness, anxiety, frustration and more.
Education
The powerful tool that it is, AI has the potential to boost learning and development and contribute massively to teaching by providing a platform for students to ask questions to and keep discovering in an interactive, reliable way. As it also has the ability to respond in a conversational manner, it may challenge the student and ask questions in response to promote critical thinking. However, there are also obvious downsides. Referencing may be made harder, as sourcing where certain pieces of information came from may be very difficult. Essays and other types of homework may easily be directly copied from ChatGPT without identification of plagiarism, as every response is uniquely generated. This feature may be taken advantage of by students and could end up inhibiting their learning.
Creativity
The greatest general misconception about Artificial Intelligence was that there was a belief that what was so inherently human to us: our creativity, was the very last thing, a Machine Learnt AI was ever going to be able to understand or replicate. To the great dismay of our ego, it was the first thing it managed to “replace”. Original poems, songs, and art can be generated within seconds. Artists’ jobs are on the line. However, in defence of the human art world, I do believe what is fundamentally very human, is the back story that formed the artwork and the mistakes along the way, which sometimes may trip us out of the limitations a learned machine may be restricted to.
The political stance of an AI?
There are claims of a bias towards left wing views in ChatGPT. Though ChatGPT itself claims to be impartial, those of a different opinion may disagree with responses given. The best solution will be for ChatGPT to remain unbiased, as it is already a very trusted and influential source for many.
The dark side of AI?
As AI has learned from a large amount of human data, there may be bias and/or discrimination in the replies given. This can lead to unjust outcomes and extreme opinions if the AI becomes too influential. Another danger is the use of AI to develop autonomous weapons, drugs, and other military applications for warfare and conflict, which is naturally very dangerous. Cyber attacks may be launched from ChatGPT, allowing malware to disrupt users’ devices. All of these can be very harmful misuses of AI. In fact, there have been many attempts at AI bots from other large companies. For example, in 2016, Microsoft’s chatbot named Tay was giving sexist and racist responses to users, and had to be taken down. Caution and awareness must be exercised when using and releasing AI.
The future ?
Reframing our everyday endeavors, reframing education, and reframing reality are all key aspects of the future for artificial intelligence (AI). With greater implementation of AI in all sectors, conversational AI for customer service, personal assistants, and healthcare will continue to improve. As AI becomes a more normalized and reliable technology, it is expected to integrate into society rapidly.
Conclusion:
Depending on its use, like many tools used today, ChatGPT has the potential, to reinvent or cause unforeseeable damage to our future. But until then, I suggest we remain optimistic, open-minded and excited for its applications to society and how we can make the most of this weapon or miracle. And, if you happened to be wondering, the reply I sent to my tutee was “that’s actually a very good idea”.
