TECH4GOOD
During the last three weeks, a breakthrough innovation suddenly popped out of nowhere to create excitement in the technology space which has been relatively dull since the start of 2022 where mass layoffs, downward spiraling stock prices, rising inflation, and crypto misconducts were the banner stories hugging the headlines. ChatGPT, a new chatbot or language processing and generative AI developed by Microsoft-backed OpenAI debuted in late November this year and has quickly turned into a viral sensation. Five days after its release, this new tech sensation has crossed one million users! It is a wake-up reminder to everyone that the world of disruptive innovation is very much alive.
For non-techies out there, let me first define four terms that will be coming our way when we talk of technology innovations like ChatGPT. Let me start with what a chatbot is. It is a software or computer program that simulates human conversation or “chatter” through text or voice interactions. Many of us are using this tool quite often like when we interface with our telco service provider or banks for support. Without us realizing it, we are talking to a chatbot. Natural language processing (NLP) refers to a branch of artificial intelligence (AI) concerned with giving computers the ability to understand text and spoken words in much the same way as human beings can. Generative AI , meanwhile, refers to any type of artificial intelligence that relies on unsupervised or semi-supervised learning algorithms to create new digital images, video, audio, and text. Finally, an algorithm is a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer.
Those who have played with it extensively swear that ChatGPT is truly a mind-blowing tool. Using a question-and-answer format, it is designed to carry conversations with people, answer follow-up questions, write insights and even challenge incorrect premises. You can ask it any question and it will try to assemble data related to your question from sources that it has previously searched from and will give you back a response with the appearance of striking intelligence and accuracy.
It has shown an uncanny ability to do novel things like helping non-programmers write software codes, write poems, essays, and court pleadings based on the specific topics provided. This early, it is showing to be more advanced and creative than most chatbots available today.
The potential for real-world application is vast. Offhand, early converts see it as a tool that can be used to help content writers like this author come up with fresh and interesting ideas for content. For example, ChatGPT can be asked to offer several ideas for articles about the metaverse. Of course, we need to review or validate the answers and not take them as is but will be a good start for our creativity to take over.
Or maybe have ChatGPT generate the first draft of an article or blog post because you are pressed for time to meet your editorial deadline. You could simply ask ChatGPT “Write me an article about the power of chatbots”. That is the fastest way to generate the first draft of your article although I do not recommend that you use the draft it creates. Rather, you can use it as your beginning draft to work on further. Maybe you can ask it to suggest several titles for your article. Even if you do not use the exact suggestions, they can be used as ideas for your title. Outside of Google and Wikipedia, with ChatGPT, you now have a very powerful tool to use for research. Or you can even ask it for questions to use in your research. It is definitely an amazing resource when doing research. One article I have read even suggests that ChatGPT can be used to shorten articles to the required maximum number of words while maintaining the tenor of the article.
This new AI innovation has been hailed by early users as a game-changer just like when Apple released the iPhone in 2007. The potential for using it for good is tremendous, but we also see plenty of potential for misuse. It can be used as a tool for cheating by students when they work on their essays. So far, it has shown zero ethics although it has shown to refuse to write romantic fiction involving real-life politicians. There is also the bias problem which is a common issue of some AI-powered software. There is also the potential of it being used for manufacturing fake news.
Some may view it as a scary development, but ChatGPT is a huge step forward and if used properly, can be a tremendous asset for everyone. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAi which developed this AI-based innovation, recently tweeted that “ChatGPT is incredibly limited. It’s a mistake to be relying on it for anything important right now.” I would like my readers to know that ChatGPT was not used to draft or write this article. At least for now.
(The author is the lead convenor of the Alliance for Technology Innovators for the Nation (ATIN), vice president of the Analytics Association of the Philippines, and vice president, UP System Information Technology Foundation.)