Microsoft and OpenAI recently announced a partnership to accelerate advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Microsoft provided OpenAI with access to its Azure cloud computing platform and other AI-related resources to develop the ChatGPT chatbot.
In simpler terms, ChatGPT is a natural language processing algorithm based on GPT-2, GPT-3, and now GPT-4. They are deep learning models that have been trained with a large corpus of text to generate new text, resulting in their conversational presentation and generation of other types of content.
As an AI tool, it can be used to build chatbots, virtual assistants, information retrieval apps, and more.
This is how ChatGPT works:
When a user interacts with the chatbot, it uses the model to generate a response based on the user’s input. The model takes that information and then predicts a response based on the training data.
Essentially, your commands create a conversation with the system, as it is designed to have more natural and engaging conversations than traditional chatbots. You can provide a more three-dimensional view of the conversation and even discuss what other people have already said about the topic.
It’s like rediscovering the Internet; the same excitement of recognizing the sea of possibilities in front of you when you were a kid and first used Google. But even though it looks like a game, it is not.
In this article, I will guide you through the potential business, journalistic, and academic implications of ChatGPT, as well as its associated ethical dilemmas and utopian predictions. Keep reading!
This is what ChatGPT does for you
- Support for natural language processing
- Auto-suggest feature to help users write messages quickly
- Improved performance for fast response times
- Ability to store and access past conversations for a better user experience
- Enhanced security features to ensure the safety of user data
- Possibility to customize the behavior, personality, and language of the bot
However, we also know that GPT-4, which has only been around for a few hours, has more sophisticated features. The new version of GPT-4 includes a powerful range of multimodal models that can process and generate.
- Videos
- Images
- Text
- Audio
Additionally, there are a variety of new applications, such as image captions, video summaries, and audiovisual comprehension. It has also improved natural language processing capabilities to better comprehend complex ideas and tasks.
This is how you can log in and use ChatGPT
To start using OpenAI’s conversational AI assistant, visit the official website (https://chat.openai.com) and create a free account. Once you’re done, you can start chatting right away.
Once you log in, you will gain access to the chat interface, allowing you to type any commands you desire. Before you begin interacting, you will find sample questions and commands in English. However, if Spanish or any other language is more comfortable for you, it can also be used and will respond in your language of preference.
It is important to note that anything you write on OpenIA may be monitored and reviewed by the ChatGPT development team. Therefore, avoid including sensitive information or requests related to criminal activity, even if it is in jest.
Ask the tool to write a story, poem, essay, or even a song. You can also use it if you need ideas for a project or help solve a problem.
What About the Human Factor?
The human factor is important, as it adds a unique perspective and insight that chatbots cannot provide. Humans can think critically, empathize, and find creative solutions to unique issues. ChatGPT and other chatbots are limited by the data they receive, meaning they cannot learn or adapt to new scenarios.
Humans can also offer emotional intelligence, which is essential for effectively communicating with customers and providing support. Humans also bring essential qualities, such as empathy and intuition, to the table that algorithms cannot easily replicate. That is why we must make sure that its database is inclusive.
For Artificial Intelligence to be effective and equitable, it must be trained from a diverse and inclusive database; this way, it will reflect the world’s diversity and be designed to avoid biases. This means collecting data from a variety of sources, representing all genders, ages, ethnicities, classes, and abilities. Furthermore, it means ensuring data accuracy by validating and verifying the data used in AI training and providing oversight and accountability to ensure that AI does not perpetuate existing inequalities or stereotypes.
Warnings from ChatGPT Skeptics
ChatGPT skeptics argue that the technology is not ready for mass adoption due to concerns about its accuracy and reliability; AI expert Gary Marcus agrees, as he told El Confidencial.
In short, Marcus worries that it could lead to a decrease in face-to-face communication and make people less creative in their interactions with others. He also emphasizes that AI is still in its infancy and may not be able to understand complex conversations or meanings.
Misinformation
The main problem is that ChatGPT cannot verify data or distinguish between what is true and what is false; it only uses natural language processing to understand and respond to user input.
Without ChatGPT’s fact-checking capability, there is a greater risk of users being misled by incorrect information, leading to confusion, ill-informed decisions, and decreased trust in the chatbot, as well as decreased user engagement due to hesitancy to trust AI advice.
Academic dishonesty
More specifically, a debate has arisen about the potential impact of AI-generated text on academic integrity. To protect against cheating, some institutions have implemented policies that forbid the use of AI-generated text in papers and other tasks.
Critics worry that the use of AI-generated text could lead to the end of traditional tasks and a decrease in the quality of academic work. Proponents argue that AI-generated text can be used to help students better understand a topic by providing additional explanations and examples. Regardless of one’s stance on this topic, the use of ChatGPT and other AI writing tools has necessitated the development of more accurate detection methods that can identify AI-written or partially written text.
And no, generative models like ChatGPT are not detectable by the same tools that are used to detect plagiarism because they generate completely new content, so they cannot be detected by traditional anti-plagiarism tools. So much so that the texts are also difficult to detect with the latest OpenAI tool, making it difficult to discover these types of schemes.
Taking over human jobs
Additionally, those who think bots won’t replace creative work may need to reconsider. The technology is rapidly evolving, and we are now seeing bots powered by ChatGPT taking over certain jobs that were previously done by humans; they are even capable of almost winning literature prizes.
Automation may cause some people to lose their jobs in certain fields, leading to changes in the job market in the future. However, we can also expect new roles to emerge, such as prompt engineers who help manage these technologies.
Moreover, Microsoft does not believe that the introduction of a chatbot will reduce the number of job opportunities available. According to Marianne Janik, CEO of Microsoft Germany, successful implementation of AI in the workplace requires multiple experts and is still a long way off.
Janik believes that companies should invest in training their employees in AI in order to maximize its potential. Prompt engineering, for example, is an opportunity for those who want to make a career change and become indispensable in the long term.
Cybersecurity issues
Skeptics are also concerned that this tool could leak confidential information. To address these risks, several companies are taking proactive steps. For example, JPMorgan has banned the use of ChatGPT. Additionally, big names such as Amazon and Walmart have issued memos to their staff members warning them to be cautious when using AI-generated content services.
Cybersecurity experts have warned that malicious actors may attempt to exploit AI databases for their gain, so it is important to understand the potential threat posed by using ChatGPT and other similar technologies.
ChatGPT and its implications in journalism
ChatGPT has the potential to revolutionize the way journalists cover the news. By using Natural Language Processing (NLP), automated reports can be generated on a variety of topics, thus taking some of the burdens off of human journalists.
It is believed that deeper coverage projects can be achieved by synthesizing data from multiple sources to generate more detailed stories.
As a tool, it is an automated fact-checking and analysis plugin that enables journalists to focus on providing unique perspectives and commentary on their stories. According to Charlie Beckett’s JournalismAI report, newsrooms looking for new ways to innovate can maximize efficiency if they incorporate algorithms and databases that are transparent and inclusive. However, the cost of implementing a ChatGPT strategy is prohibitive for many newsrooms.
In short, the implications of ChatGPT are both positive and negative. On the plus side, ChatGPT can be used to generate personalized conversations that can provide users with more natural and meaningful interactions, thus saving them time on «mundane» tasks.
The downside is highly sensitive: ChatGPT can lead to the proliferation of fake news and malicious content due to its ability to generate convincing, yet false, narratives. The tool can be used by malicious actors to impersonate people and manipulate conversations, posing a threat to the privacy and security of individuals and organizations.
The comments section is open to discussing all that this entails. Let’s chat!
Kim Yánez 