Should you be worried about ChatGPT?
Tags: chatgpt, ai, openai, career
Published: 2023-04-01 03:51:04

Who has not heard of ChatGPT yet? well if you have not, hear ye! hear ye! Generative language models continue to be the buzz among conversations in schools, universities, workplaces, and almost every social platform on the internet! While many have started to pick up the AI tool and utilize them in almost every aspect of their life, many are fearful of the beloved AI assistant turning against them. As the AI assistant continues to solve the hardest exams, give insightful advice, and generate policies - it takes a step toward the AI revolution many of us never saw coming. So, should you care? Moreover, should you be worried? As of now, we are not slowing down. After all, it is so exciting! But let’s explore if we should.

## What is ChatGPT and How Does it Work?

![ChatGPT introduces itself](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/vq88pfhwn29v83lr80dk.png) _OpenAI: ChatGPT_

ChatGPT is a chatbot created by the San Francisco-based start-up, [OpenAI](https://openai.com/). Designed to process and understand natural language text (written and conversational language in a variety of languages) by using machine learning algorithms such as unsupervised learning. 

This type of algorithm can process large amounts of unlabeled text data and use it to learn patterns and relationships in the data. GPT or Generative Pre-trained Transformer uses a neural network architecture called a transformer network (inspired by the human brain) it processes data in layers and makes the data more useful for each next layer, making it capable of generating human-like text. Unlike GPT-2, the newer GPT-3 is trained with [175 billion parameters](https://openai.com/research/language-models-are-few-shot-learners#:~:text=an%20autoregressive%20language%20model%20with%20175%20billion%20parameters), has better evaluation metrics,  and has an improved training process.

These improvements have led to better performance on a wide range of natural language processing tasks, as well as the ability to generate more coherent and natural-sounding text.

![ChatGPT showcases few abilities](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/d4m51efxzoi7ppy6ldsj.png) _OpenAI: ChatGPT_

## What am I up against? Show me what you can do!

Asking ChatGPT to showcase its abilities only scratches the surface of the possibilities such a tool can be used for. By combining ChatGPT with other technologies such as NLU systems, speech recognition, and financial services platforms, the potential for its application grows even further.

With the help of NLU (Natural Language Understanding) systems, ChatGPT can improve its ability to understand and respond to user requests by identifying the user's intent and extracting relevant information from the conversation. Integrating ChatGPT with speech recognition technology can enable voice-based conversations for users who cannot or do not want to type out their requests. Moreover, ChatGPT can be integrated with financial services platforms to provide personalized financial advice and support. By analyzing user data and financial behavior, ChatGPT can generate recommendations and solutions that are tailored to the user's needs and goals. 

These are just a few examples of the potential applications of ChatGPT, and as technology advances, we can expect to see even more innovative uses.

## The dark side of the picture

The potential risks and challenges are issues that would affect the average user in a very sly manner. It is important to address the concerns because facing the reality means accepting that our modern-day AI is not a miracle worker - like human intelligence it too has flaws. Given that ChatGPT can generate human-like responses to text prompts, it could be used to spread false or misleading information. Moreover, the model may not be able to detect fake news due to its reliance on statistical patterns in the training data.

On February 16, a "press release" from a Chinese local government announcing the removal of traffic restrictions based on the final digit of license plate numbers went viral as reported on [Sixth Tone, a Chinese media outlet](https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1012312/a-chatgpt-gag-gone-wrong%2C-a-police-probe%2C-and-a-sheepish-apology-). The article was generated by ChatGPT by a user who proceeded to share the fake article through WeChat to another user as a joke. Soon enough the fake news article went viral with the misleading narratives. Considering we are now connected with the world more than we ever were, the information spreads faster than wildfire. However, this can be very dangerous leading to harmful decisions, contributing to the polarization of society, and even being a tool for propaganda and disinformation.

While fake news is just one aspect, ChatGPT is still vulnerable to racism, sexism, and bias. How? It is baked into the training data. But the data is not the only entity to blame here - the researchers and developers who chose the datasets are equally responsible. OpenAI calls it "biased behavior" and utilizes user feedback to eliminate such instances.

## What ChatGPT can't do

As impressive as ChatGPT is, it still has functionality limitations. Even though it can perform a variety of tasks with high accuracy, humans can one-up ChatGPT any day. ChatGPT struggles with understanding and responding appropriately to emotions and sarcasm in text. It also finds it difficult to handle complex language and context-specific meaning.

Human oversight and input are still necessary when working with ChatGPT. When context and nuances are required, human input ensures the response is accurate and appropriate.

ChatGPT "hallucinates" - yes, it makes stuff up. According to research [15%-20%](https://www.datanami.com/2023/01/17/hallucinations-plagiarism-and-chatgpt/) of the time. Furthermore, if you ask it to provide sources it is not able to tell you where the information comes from. The confidence is not the chatbot bluntly lying to your face but an inability to get a credible answer for everything in its little brain.

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So no, ChatGPT cannot take your place, be your Jarvis, or sympathize with you when you have a rough day.

## Is there any need to be uneasy?

ChatGPT has made significant progress and can be used for the betterment of the world to push the boundaries of our current technology by enabling us to question unimaginable amounts of information. The definition of narrow AI has remained unchanged however, we have expanded what "narrow" can do now. From language translation to financial calculations, there are more functions to play around with for a while. 

Sure, ChatGPT can write a 5-paragraph essay faster than you or process vast amounts of data at incredible speeds, but it cannot replace human creativity, empathy, or critical thinking. Whether it be to improve customer service or the learning experience, ChatGPT is a tool that cannot hurt you. It will continue to hallucinate and mix up the facts but approaching it with an open mind to enhance rather than replace is the key to successful integration into our lives.

Finally, we as humans have become good at making AI understand our context but not exactly. It still has no context of itself. It is programmed to understand whatever it is given based on what it is programmed to understand. So, will it ever come after your job? Unlikely. We should not treat others merely as a means to an end, but always as ends in ourselves. However, ChatGPT is a tool so it should only be used as a means to an end.