I get by with a little help from my AI friends

How your everyday life could soon be shaped by artificial intelligence

Since launching in November 2022, ChatGPT hasn’t experienced a dull moment. According to analysis by Swiss bank UBS, ChatGPT is the fastest growing app of all time. In January, just two months after its launch, UBS analysis estimates that ChatGPT had 100 million active user(Tech Spot) . For comparison, it took nine months for TikTok to reach 100 million.

So what exactly is ChatGPT? It was launched on the 30 November 2022 by OpenAI, an AI and research company based in San Francisco, California and has close ties to Microsoft. ChatGPT (the “GPT” standing for Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is part of a new generation of AI systems that can converse, generate readable text on demand and even produce novel images and video based on what they’ve learned from a vast database of digital books, online writings and other media.

At its core, ChatGPT is a natural language processing tool driven by AI that can help with a myriad of daily tasks ranging from help with writing emails to discussing philosophical questions. It is currently free as it’s still in its research stage, so it is available to anyone and there is no limit to the number of questions or tasks you need help with.

This seemingly endless opportunity to have an AI chatbot assist in day-to-day communication systems seems shiny, new and harmless however, its implications are vast and could change the way humans interact with one another and can deepen our dependence on AI.

Limited limitations

Currently, there are very few things that ChatGPT can’t do when it comes to producing work. However, just because ChatGPT can look and sound impressive, it doesn’t always have its facts right. The OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, even stated that “ChatGPT is incredibly limited, but good enough at some things to create a misleading impression of greatness” and further stated “It’s a mistake to be relying on it for anything important right now”.

The private digital assistant, Siri, installed on all iPhones, when it does not understand the question you are asking, will say “I’m sorry I did not get that”. In comparison, if ChatGPT doesn’t understand a question that is being asked, it will simply throw out a guess of what your question means which can lead to unintended responses and non-factual answers. Therefore, ChatGPT can quickly spiral into “fake news” territory.

Google v ChatGPT: Who will reign supreme?

ChatGPT has quickly been named a formidable foe that Google must face sooner rather than later. ChatGPT is an AI bot that excels in natural language processing and human-like response. Alternatively, Google is a search engine that fetches information relevant to a query from billions of web pages.

While ChatGPT is fresh and exciting, the information it produces cannot be blindly trusted. For example, ChatGPT  copies and remixes information from other places on the internet to craft its responses without providing sources for that information. This can quickly lead to a spiral of misinformation or information gathered from inappropriate pockets of the internet.

In comparison, Google takes the question being asked, compares it with billions of webpages and then presents the most relevant response with verifiable sources that are instantly provided. So, while ChatGPT provides a more human-like interaction and is great at crafting ready-made emails, essays, conversations, etc. it cannot be trusted.

Where do we go from here?

From a communications expert’s perspective, I can see the appeal of ChatGPT and can imagine how it could easily infiltrate our everyday lives. With ChatGPT, tedious things such as emails or grocery lists can be completed in seconds with very little thought. You can even ask ChatGPT for gift ideas. Or, if you’re feeling like having a lively philosophical debate, ChatGPT is right there waiting to engage in discourse.

I understand how AI programs like ChatGPT can be intimidating for people in creative professions, like us for example(!) What writer wouldn’t feel threatened by something that seems to effortlessly whip out essays and blogs within seconds with little to no thought? However, Alisa Miller, CEO and co-founder of Pluralytics AI, Advantage Intelligence offers a different perspective. She argues that “we need to look at how PR pros can take advantage of artificial intelligence not to do our jobs, but to help us do them better”. So, instead, writers and communicators shouldn’t view ChatGPT as a threat, but rather as a tool that will allow them to focus on more value-added pieces of work. Instead of working against AI, writers and communicators should view it as a piece of technology that will free up their time by taking over tedious tasks such as creating press lists and instead lean more heavily into their creativity with other pieces. Because while AI can be useful, nothing beats the creativity that can only be produced by human brains.

One of the largest dangers of ChatGPT is that unlike other search engines, it feels human. It interacts like a human and provides answers in a conversational way. The minute we forget we are speaking with AI is the minute we forget that it is a flawed, unreliable system. But maybe its flaws and blind confidence makes it more similar to humans after all…