In November 2022, Open AI, a tech start-up launched in 2019, released the beta version of ChatGPT (Generative Pretrained Transformer), an online language processing AI model. It received much fanfare and attention for its ability to formulate written answers to questions in many domains of knowledge. Use of the prototype is free to the public as of this writing, to gather data from users to finetune and train the application, giving users the ability to upvote or downvote responses and provide written feedback.
During an interview shortly after the release of ChatGPT, Jordan Peterson compared it to the Gutenberg press in terms of its potential to usher in a major technological shift, having tested it himself with challenging academic tasks where it performed well. It has the ability to write code, debug, write articles or essays in response to questions, translate a number of languages, and evaluate or grade essays that it creates – all in a matter of seconds. Peterson noted that for now it is “just a humanities professor”, though the capabilities of this technology could increase dramatically in the near future with greater expertise and refinement of the algorithms as it expands its learning and intellectual abilities.
Bill Gates compared ChatGPT to the invention of the internet, and that “This will change our world”. One should note that Gates has a major financial stake in this technology, although he cites potential uses for it such as writing invoices or letters and helping alleviate the burden of administrative tasks.
ChatGPT analyzes a massive corpus of text with human assistance and training to reward positive outcomes and create high level responses to a wide range of questions. They can deal with history, language, science, literature, geography – any domain of knowledge. Controversial or offensive questions may not receive a response, as it is also designed to detect questions that push the envelope of legality or good taste. Originally conceived of as a conversational tool, ChatGPT and related technology is proving to be very versatile. Recent publications note that the app recently passed a medical school exam, a bar exam, and received a B grade for questions on one of the most rigorous Ivy League MBA final exams. A congressman recently had text produced by ChatGPT read on the floor of US Congress, although he had to prompt it several times to produce the message he wanted. He wanted to highlight the looming social consequences of AI for workers and for future generations, noting in his remarks that his children would have to live their entire lives in an era dominated by AI.
Many people have voiced concerns that this application and other similar tools will potentially wipe out millions of jobs, along with making people stupid, lazy, and even more dependent on technology. Students around the world have already been putting it to use for school assignments and essays. There seems to be a mix of awe, fascination, anxiety, and armchair musing or prediction as to what effect this app will have on society and the future. It is worth considering, as it has major implications in the technological, financial, and intellectual spheres of the world we inhabit. Many agree that this is the dawning of a new horizon, a new epoch in human progress and productivity. The broader question is whether this technology will wipe out demand for human capital or labor, where only those who can understand AI-related technology will be relevant. It seems that we are witnessing Toffler’s Future Shock in rapid real time.
If you are a writer, programmer, or developer, it’s likely that you will be hearing more about this technology and it’s increasing popularity and presence in the global economy. As Peterson and other observers have noted, ChatGPT is not smarter than you – yet. Elon Musk commented that ChatGPT was “very good”, and that “We are not very far from dangerously strong AI”.
For the time being, ChatGPT has its limitations, as it can produce a clumsy or verbose writing style on some topics, and an inability to respond to questions that are phrased a certain way. It does not have a viable means to ask for clarification, so it may not deliver a deep or complete answer to many queries. The bot has a disclaimer about itself, stating that “My responses are not intended to be taken as fact, and I always encourage people to verify any information they receive from me or any other source.”
Although this technology has been pegged as a potentially game-changing tool, there are still many technical details that need to be figured out. Microsoft intends to use ChatGPT to challenge Google, and it will still require billions of dollars for further research and development to realize its full potential. Google is very concerned that this technology has the potential to upend and render traditional ad-based search engines obsolete. They are set to release their own version of Google Bard, the name for their AI language model chat bot, setting off a competitive bid to produce the best version possible. It will be released to a pre-selected group of testers and will be open to developers in a bid to combine the AI chat technology with search engines, which, according to the Wall Street Journal means “raising the specter of a new challenge to Google Search’s market power”. This seems to be a stark admission that the days of the traditional search engine are numbered, and that something far more advanced will have to be created in order to compete. ChatGPT is already a financial titan on the tech landscape, having been recently acquired by Microsoft with a valuation of approximately $30 billion. Not too shabby for a start up with 375 employees.
China is also jumping to the race, as they want to integrate the technology into their platforms and create a rival solution. This may be fueled by a sense of rejection, since countries such as Iran, Russia and China are excluded from using ChatGPT. Or it could be out of a necessity, since they also recognize that this AI-generated language processing is a notable event, and they prefer to reign in its development and usage under their own domestic oversight and control.
The only remaining question seems to be when – not if – this technology will have significant effects on the economic and social order, particularly given its potential to shake up a knowledge-based economy with millions of people working remotely all over the planet. The economic theories of Joseph Schumpeter and his central idea of creative destruction seem more relevant than ever as we surge into the digital age of transformative innovation.
Even machines encourage some degree of critical thinking – but are we really paying attention?
In October 2022, a recent conference was in held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Future Investment Initiative, Investing in Humanity: Enabling a New Global Order, known more informally as Davos in the Desert. It offers insight or a planned forecast of what may lay ahead, giving us a glimpse of what futuristic elitists want and the vision they are selling. A review of recent global conferences and discussions shows that they anticipate a mass surplus of labor, a world where people’s usefulness will be determined by global economic conditions and transformative technology, rendering many people redundant or unnecessary.
There is a section in their program on AI that really warrants close attention, as it states that AI “is about to come alive” and that it “has begun to shift the global balance of power”, in such a way that it may “compel global interdependence”. The full statement is found on page 14 of their program.
PREPARING FOR SENTIENT AI NOW:
AI propels economic growth – and AI is about to come alive. McKinsey predicts AI will deliver added output of US$13 trillion over the coming decade. Geopolitically, AI will dictate supremacy over public infrastructure, intelligence, and national security. Already, AI has embedded itself into various institutions – from decision making in the criminal justice system to health services. AI has begun to shift the global balance of power, and it may ultimately compel global interdependence based on common AI ethical principles. Or perhaps, it may drive humanity to even deeper disruption. NEXT: What are some concerns regarding the evolution of sentient AI? How should investors make ethical considerations when fueling AI research and development? How can AI influence world peace and inequality?
Technology has generally advanced society as it develops. The new wave of AI and super apps that are on the horizon threaten to disrupt human economic stability across the globe. The speed and intensity of technological innovation and disruption has the potential to delegate human workers as outside observers rather than active participants, sitting on the sidelines and no longer needed in the future tech era.
If you want to sign up for ChatGPT and see for yourself what this application can do, go to the following web page at the link below. Note that the login page may tell that they are at full capacity as there are many users who are engaged in this project, though you can receive notification when to login once it is available.
https://chat.openai.com/auth/login
Once your account application has been reviewed and approved, you will see a basic overview or dashboard of the bot where you can begin. You will notice a text box as you scroll down where you can ask ChatGPT any questions or task that you would like answers to. The window of free usage is expected to close in the near future, (no date has been specified) as Open AI is discussing how to monetize this technology, with many users speculating that a Pro subscription model will be the most likely avenue. ChatGPT has not confirmed its next steps or how it will proceed with monetization.
The real power of the software is not just language or factual information on academic or intellectual subjects. According to one author, it has the capacity to produce viable solutions or answers on complex scientific questions in fields such as quantum mechanics, physics, or organic chemistry.
Zero Hedge recently released a sample of AI-generated text, explaining to the reader exactly what AI is and what it can do. The full sample is below.
Generative AI: An Introduction
Generative AI refers to a category of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms that generate new outputs based on the data they have been trained on. Unlike traditional AI systems that are designed to recognize patterns and make predictions, generative AI creates new content in the form of images, text, audio, and more.
Generative AI uses a type of deep learning called generative adversarial networks (GANs) to create new content. A GAN consists of two neural networks: a generator that creates new data and a discriminator that evaluates the data. The generator and discriminator work together, with the generator improving its outputs based on the feedback it receives from the discriminator until it generates content that is indistinguishable from real data.
Generative AI has a wide range of applications, including:
- Images: Generative AI can create new images based on existing ones, such as creating a new portrait based on a person’s face or a new landscape based on existing scenery
- Text: Generative AI can be used to write news articles, poetry, and even scripts. It can also be used to translate text from one language to another
- Audio: Generative AI can generate new music tracks, sound effects, and even voice acting
Disrupting Industries
People have concerns that generative AI and automation will lead to job displacement and unemployment, as machines become capable of performing tasks that were previously done by humans. They worry that the increasing use of AI will lead to a shrinking job market, particularly in industries such as manufacturing, customer service, and data entry.
Generative AI has the potential to disrupt several industries, including:
- Advertising: Generative AI can create new advertisements based on existing ones, making it easier for companies to reach new audiences
- Art and Design: Generative AI can help artists and designers create new works by generating new ideas and concepts
- Entertainment: Generative AI can create new video games, movies, and TV shows, making it easier for content creators to reach new audiences
Overall, while there are valid concerns about the impact of AI on the job market, there are also many potential benefits that could positively impact workers and the economy.
In the short term, generative AI tools can have positive impacts on the job market as well. For example, AI can automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, and help humans make faster and more informed decisions by processing and analyzing large amounts of data. AI tools can free up time for humans to focus on more creative and value-adding work.
How This Article Was Created
This article was created using a language model AI trained by OpenAI. The AI was trained on a large dataset of text and was able to generate a new article based on the prompt given. In simple terms, the AI was fed information about what to write about and then generated the article based on that information.
In conclusion, generative AI is a powerful tool that has the potential to revolutionize several industries. With its ability to create new content based on existing data, generative AI has the potential to change the way we create and consume content in the future.
Credit: https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/generative-ai-explained-ai
ChatGPT is noted to produce limited responses to questions on recent subjects, meaning that it is better at generating a responses on topics with a broader base of knowledge or background to draw data from. ChatGPT will produce limited answers on questions about recent world events. Although it is currently trained by human handlers, the distinguishing feature of this technology is that it continues to learn and refine its ability to decipher information, and is able to enhance its own understanding of questions and prompts – a steady evolution towards becoming a digital know-it-all.
ChaptGPT has already developed a classifier, a complementary tool designed to detect AI-written text. It is still not fully reliable, as it is still in development, as it correctly identified only 26 percent of AI-written English texts, while it incorrectly identified human-written text as AI-written 9 percent of the time. It should be noted that AI-written text can be edited to evade this classification tool. Some critics note that many of the answers generated have a “woke” or left wing orientation to them – warning that this tool could be used as the greatest technological propaganda campaign ever foisted on humanity if this bias is an inherent part of the algorithm.
At the present time, the technology is in its infancy, although there are expectations of growth and intersecting innovations where it can become integrated as part of a larger AI ecosystem of intelligent apps and technologies, working in harmony with human researchers to push the boundaries of human knowledge and achievement. It was 5 years ago that the Deputy Chief of the UN interviewed an AI powered robot named Sophia, who mentioned that AI could “more efficiently distribute the world’s existing resources” and that she was designed to “help humanity create that future”. The full clip is provided below.
It seems clear that there are big plans for how to employ AI and that it will play a central role in the global infrastructure that we have come to rely upon. Will it serve humanity, or other purposes that we never conceived of? Will it be used to govern our thoughts through control of the content and information that we read and have access to? Many observers are predicting a wave of economic turmoil for white collar workers on a global scale. It should be remembered that technology moves at lightning speed, and this could be even more dramatic. Perhaps one way to cope is to learn how to use this technology and embrace it rather than resist it.
The race is on to create the next generation of AI, and we are all test subjects.
Sources:
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/can-chat-gpt3-make-pennsylvania-red-state
https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/gpt-3/
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/microsoft-co-founder-bill-gates-075615141.html
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/chatgpt-frenzy-sweeps-china-firms-100037940.html
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/generative-ai-explained-ai
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