Thinkhouse

The Youth Lab

CHATGPT - WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT

Our plan was to get ChatGPT to write this week’s edition of 52INSIGHTS but turns out we’re not the only ones trying to experiment. The AI chatbot app has been at capacity all week, taking the world by storm, so much so that their servers have been overloaded. So instead this week we’re giving you the download on what ChatGPT is, how it’s being used and the complex conversation around it.

ChatGPT: WHAT IS IT

ChatGPT is a large language model chatbot, where the bot performs the task of predicting the next word in a series of words. The AI innovation was developed by OpenAI (who also created Dall-E) and it has gained quick popularity, thanks to its remarkable ability to answer complex questions conversationally.

CHATGPT & THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

While the bot is super intelligent, there are limitations to how real the responses can be, as it is still created from machine learning intelligence, sometimes lacking the real human tone. Since its launch, people have been having conversations with the application and using it in multiple scenarios, e.g. a real-life example has been to take the work out of online dating with people using it to write creative messages to potential love interests. One Tinder veteran shared a poem written by ChatGP to a match to great success. Speed dating on a whole new level…

One creative trend is asking the platform to write a song in the style of a particular artist, to see how close to the original it is. In response to someone using the tool to write a song, playfully titled ‘in the style of Nick Cave’, the artist himself responded in his newsletter. He highlights that the tool can be effectively used to write a speech, but it lacks real human empathy to write a song, (given its limited understanding of the human struggle). “Songs arise out of suffering, by which I mean they are predicated upon the complex, internal human struggle of creation and, well, as far as I know, algorithms don’t feel.”

Celebrities are also in on the experimentation. Ryan Reynolds tried the platform (before it went into overload), resulting in a humorous take on his experience of using it to write an ad for Mint Mobile, and subsequently using it as an ad. Reynolds addresses the fear that AI could be used to cut costs for businesses (jobs) upfront in the video, but he also highlights the creative potential of using this kind of technology alongside real people’s creative express


THE POTENTIAL OF AI IN THE FUTURE

"This technology is incredible. I do believe it's the future. But, at the same time, it's like we're opening Pandora's Box. And we need safeguards to adopt it responsibly." Edward Tian, 22

The app has been a part of a wider conversation on how humans interact with computers and the role of AI in creativity, ownership and future of work. AI art is created through databases of art, where not all pieces are accredited to an artist. With the source unknown, the resulting AI art could have been created with work that artists may not have consented to its use. To mitigate these risks and protect artists, developers are also building machine learning tools that ensure they are not using copyright protected materials.

As AI is ultimately the by-product of engineering, there is also the threat of build-bias - i.e. the stereotypes of tech developers get built into the software from the start, resulting in output that can be inherently stereotypical or discriminatory.

There is also a fear that AI will harm workforces and threaten jobs. MIT Professors highlight that “humans still excel at social interaction, unpredictable physical skills, common sense, and, of course, general intelligence”. In comparison, task-oriented AI systems can do specific complex work quickly, such as AI reading radiographs to collate results, saving doctors time.

How the technology is used moving forward has sparked reactions and action from organisations and individuals alike. Developers are being called up to take more responsibility for mitigating any potential harmful risks. Our World In Data proposes that “if we manage to avoid these risks, transformative AI could also lead to very positive consequences.” There are tools being created to reduce building AI that leans into stereotypes. Student Edward Tian created a tool called GPTZero, which checks ChatGPT against itself, and can potentially help the public identify whether something has been written by a machine.

BRAND TAKEOUTS

There is limitless potential with AI, notwithstanding continued innovation in AI having more human empathy and understanding. Right now it’s about having an open mind and taking a responsible approach to the technology and its applications.

In 2023 we will see mainstream adoption of AI. AI represents one of the biggest opportunities we face to transform how we do things - from copy, to content to visuals. The ethical considerations of AI will continue to be widely debated and ultimately we must adopt an approach to AI that is respectful of artists and craft”. Jane McDaid, founder and CEO of Thinkhouse