While answering questions on Quora, I came across a question about ChatGPT. I had heard some news about this open-source chat bot in which Microsoft has a huge stake. But I had not tried it. Since the question intrigued me, I decided to create an account and fiddle around with it a bit. It was pretty easy and before long I found myself answering questions about ChatGPT and questions in which I used ChatGPT to fact check or find information.
For those of you who are not familiar with AI or ChatGPT I should explain a few things. First, GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer. What this means is that it takes a question and transforms it into an answer using a pre-trained language model. The model is pre-trained by using machine learning to process 8 million documents.
Here is a simple way to think about it. When you do a Google search, you type in your question and Google responds with a list of links to where you can find more information and some questions with short answers that might satisfy what you are looking for. However, if you type a question into the ChatGPT text box, it will find the information, and summarize it for you in easy-to-understand language. Further you can ask follow-up questions to refine your original question and ChatGPT will refine its answer. But wait! That isn't all it can do.
You can ask ChatGPT to summarize a book for you. Or write website copy. Or advertising copy. You can ask it to write a Table of Contents for a book on Home Plumbing Repair. You can even ask it to write some code for a program you are developing. This is amazing and it is making people nervous.
I have answered a lot of questions about whether ChatGPT will put writers and programmers out of work. My answer is generally some version of ChatGPT won't put writers and programmers out of work. However, writers and programmers who use ChatGPT will put writers and programmers who do not use ChatGPT out of work. That is a glorified way of saying - if you don't keep up you will be left behind. But, in the world of IT that has always been true.
There are already several books out on ChatGPT for writers of fiction and nonfiction. My guess is that ChatGPT will dramatically change many professions over the next few decades. And it is an exciting time to be keeping up with all this new stuff.
Still, it is important to keep things in perspective. One Quora questioner asked me what the difference was between an answer provided by ChatGPT and an answer provided by a human.
I answered "AI will give you a succinct summary of what it has learned with regard to a question. The human will insert opinions, interpretations, and wishful thinking often causing them to go off on a tangent."
There are two important points I would like to make regarding this answer. First, tying in with the previous post about Quora, you learn a lot for answering Quora questions. Some of it is from background research. Some of it is from organizing your own thoughts. But, if you want to force yourself to keep up, answering questions on Quora is a great way to do that.
Second, some might think
that my answer was biased in favor of AI, while diminishing human input.
Nothing could be further from the truth. AI will win on accuracy and
succinctness. Where the human will win is on richness and insight. Do you want
predictable answers or something that will make you think? They both have value but are often very different.
