Looking beyond the hype of ChatGPT-4

The release of ChatGPT-4 has created quite a buzz and for good reason. In several ways, this new version of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an exponential improvement over its predecessor, GPT-3.5. It's better at understanding and solving complex problems, programming can handle much bigger texts and is more creative when connecting different ideas. All these enhancements make GPT-4 even more powerful and useful, paving the way for exciting new possibilities in the world of AI. Although image and video processing was heavily advertised, it has not been released yet. Additionally, data privacy concerns and the potential existential threat to certain professions and businesses must be taken into account as the technology continues to develop. This week Italy was the first country to ban access to GPT over privacy concerns.

ELI5

• Taking a step back to go through some basics
• ChatGPT is an application of artificial intelligence
• Artificial intelligence is the attempt to have a computer perform certain functions that only a human mind can e.g. reason and learn
• The implications of a computer being able to perform like a human cannot be understated, in both good and bad ways
• It seems like we are on the verge of massive productivity gains for work that uses mental labor i.e. the professional working class
• This is similar to the industrial revolution in the 1700s when we began to use machines instead of humans to create goods
• A simple example of a use case that is available today is changing the way you search things on the internet: e.g. Google
• When you are looking for an answer to something, you Google it, then click on the various links until you find the content that answers your question
• ChatGPT does that “work” for you, so instead of having to click and read, it does it and spits out the answer
• From this very simple example, you can probably tell how much time you can save, both personally and professionally
• At the very least, we think the technology is at a state where it can serve as a personal/professional assistant
• It can probably also sufficiently replace most routine customer service functions
• Another exciting use case is content creation; ChatGPT can create content much more efficiently than a human
• The complication in this use case is that it learned to create content by having access to content originally created by humans
• This brings up copyright laws and privacy issues, which is one of the reasons Italy has already banned access
• If you think through some of the most dramatic negative consequences of this technology, it could significantly disrupt society as we know it and even bring about the end of the human race 🤯
• This is why many prominent people, including Elon Musk, recently signed a petition to halt the development of AI until well-thought-through guidelines are introduced
• In conclusion, the tech is very cool; you can use it today, companies will be using it to significantly improve their products and services; let's hope it doesn’t kill us all