What is ChatGPT?

Alexis Rae Baker

Dear Lexis,

I’ve heard a lot of chatter lately about ChatGPT and I find myself confused. Some people seem to think it’s a godsend, and others seem kind of freaked out, but here I am just confused about what ChatGPT is. Can you provide some insight and maybe explain why this thing is important at all?

Thanks,

Lost in Olympia

Dear Lost,

This is an excellent question, and it centers around one of the biggest talking points in society, the development of technology. ChatGPT is essentially a form of artificial intelligence (AI) that can be interacted with via a chat window. In practice, it’s similar to chatting with someone via instant messenger or text, but the primary difference is that you aren’t talking to another human.

ChatGPT is not the first of its kind, nor will it be the last, but it is certainly popular right now, and for good reason. ChatGPT is probably one of the most advanced AI systems that we’ve seen so far, and it’s starting to show us the value that AI can have in the future.

With ChatGPT, you can write a column, article, or blog in a much shorter period of time. Rather than going out on Google to find sources, you can ask ChatGPT to find them for you. ChatGPT can then spit out quotes, bibliographies, and links that you can follow to verify, and it can do it all in under a minute.

There is some controversy over ChatGPT still giving wrong answers, so verifying everything is necessary.

This in and of itself is impressive, but ChatGPT can also take the information from those sources and link them together in a comprehensive article. And then, if you find something of particular interest in that initial creation, deep dive into a new topic for a more interesting, pointed perspective.

And while this may not seem like much, the implications of such technology cannot be denied. Already people are starting to utilize ChatGPT for all kinds of things, from writing speeches, speeding up research, translating languages, and for personal education. It’s a very powerful, useful tool that can be utilized to make humans more productive.

That being said, increased productivity is also considered the downside of tech like ChatGPT.

If one person can do the work of 4 with the help of this tech, why would any company keep all four employed?

Applications and programs like ChatGPT are already starting to replace workers, and chances are good that this rate of transition will increase as time goes on. These aren’t the lowly, hourly jobs either, but the higher paying, education-centered types of work.

Writing a law brief just got a whole lot easier, meaning you need fewer lawyers. With AI art programs like Midjourney, people can design book covers and graphics for a fraction of the cost, putting some graphic designers out of work. With the increased diagnostic capabilities of AI and wearable tech, doctors will quickly find their positions falling away. In addition, things like blogs may quickly fall by the wayside when people start to find their answers via a chat interface rather than through a search engine. Freelancers, businesses, and working professionals will all take a hit.

And while there will always be a place for humans in the working world, it’s alarming to see just how quickly the world is starting to shift with these new tools available. So, while the tech is awesome, it’s prompting us to consider some deeper issues like:

“What does the ‘work’ of tomorrow look like?”

“What is the role of work in our world?”

 “How will people continue to support themselves if they can’t find jobs?”

“Do we have the infrastructure in place to accommodate such drastic changes?”

These issues are profoundly human, and they tend to take longer to resolve than tech-related issues and developments. We, humans, are confronting a new problem, and like with most change, we’re likely to face some growing pains along the way. To what extent those growing pains will hurt and how long they will last are questions we approach with a certain sense of trepidation. But the tech is already here and there’s no going back, so it’s into the future we go.

Hope this provides you with some clarity and insight and I hope you have a better understanding of why people react so differently to developments like these.

~ Lexis

Lexis is Alexis Rae Baker. She writes from her home in Olympia.  Got a question about life, relationships, spirit? Visit her at lexisrae.com or write to Lexis at  Lexis@theJOLTnews.com 

EDITOR'S NOTE:  The opinions expressed above are those of Alexis Rae Baker and not necessarily of The JOLT or its staff or board of directors.