ChatGPT is taking over internet, so Microsoft wants to buy it. Is that based on Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), shrewd corporate maneuvering, or pure stupidity? Time will tell.
Twitter is full of screenshots of ChatGPT, ranging from clever chat prompts and answers to the downright ridiculous and mindbogglingly brainless.
Some are exceedingly enthusiastic and proclaim AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) or Singularity (a system capable of human-level thinking) is soon within reach. Other pundits, like Grady Booch, IBM Chief Scientist of Software Engineering, may be closer to the truth, when he proclaims on Twitter “singularity is a myth whose sole purpose is to sell books and introduce Clickbait articles”.
TIME Magazine tech reporter Billy Perrigo illuminated some of the darker sides of OpenAI and how training advanced models depends on cheap labor in Africa to perform data labeling of gruesome texts and images to train model filtering and generation abilities. He had a similar investigation into Facebook about a year ago, with similar findings.
Bottom line is that generative AI has taken over for blockchain in terms of hype. OpenAI has demonstrated remarkable capabilities, yet monumental challenges remain – including technical, legal and ethical.
Considering OpenAI pivoted from saying “Our goal is to advance digital intelligence in the way that is most likely to benefit humanity as a whole, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return” in 2015, to now seemingly seeking highly commercial objectives, makes you wonder.
One thing is certain: demonstrating this level of generative capabilities has brought high degree of visibility (marketing), and resulted in the tech community erupting in excitement not seen since the heydays of blockchain. It will be very interesting to follow this field next – are doctors next to be disrupted by this technology?
Vik Bulletin 