ChatGPT: to be Trusted?

“ChatGPT is a language model developed by OpenAI, designed to generate human-like responses to text-based inputs. With its impressive capabilities and natural language processing abilities, ChatGPT has gained widespread attention and adoption in various industries, including customer service, education, and entertainment. However, like any technology, ChatGPT has its pros and cons. On the one hand, it can improve efficiency, save time, and provide a personalized experience for users. On the other hand, it raises concerns about data privacy, ethical considerations, and the potential for misuse. In this article, we will explore the advantages and disadvantages of ChatGPT and discuss the implications of its widespread use in society.”

This introduction was written by the very thing that this article is about: ChatGPT. All I had to do was ask it to write an introduction for me. I could’ve spent time researching or coming up with ideas, but this AI does it for me. This is where the controversy lies. On the surface, ChatGPT is a very beneficial program, and I believe that to be mostly true. It has access to endless amounts of information and advice, with custom responses and endless capabilities. And this is just the beginning for this specific AI. In just a few months, it has taken the world by storm, with millions of new people accessing it for the first time every day. It took 5 days for its millionth user to log on for the first time, greatly contrasting Instagram’s 2.5 months or Twitter’s 2 years. 

Why is ChatGPT so successful?

There are a lot of answers to this question. For many, it serves as a tool of sorts, kind of like an encyclopedia. The sheer amount of information it can give you is staggering. For others, it is a way to very quickly find a solution for their problems. Lives have been saved by ChatGPT’s easily accessible step-by-step solutions to the Heimlich Maneuver or CPR. Others ask for advice for their daily life, from how to deal with rocky friendships to where they should go to eat next week. It can tell jokes, write songs, and pretty much do anything the user asks it to without batting an eye.

And that’s the problem.

ChatGPT can make anything for someone. Essay due in an hour and you haven’t started it? ChatGPT can cook up a 2000 word essay on the exact subject you’re trying to research. Want to do your math homework? Why do that when you can just have the AI do it? This problem is becoming more prominent in schools, with an ever-increasing amount of people using the program. People have tried to combat the AI in assignments by using AI detectors, but they have proved to be inconsistent and buggy. Students who spent real time and real effort on their work have had their original work be flagged by AI detectors, and people who spent 30 seconds typing a prompt in ChatGPT have gotten away with it. For now, the detector remains an imperfect solution, if a solution at all. This could lead to unqualified people in the workforce due to their coasting through assignments. ChatGPT simply doesn’t require creativity of the inputter to function because it has endless examples of creative work that humans have published online. This can be very dangerous if not handled soon.

ChatGPT is a very divided subject, with such extreme benefits and downfalls. If handled right, it can become useful for everyone, an assister rather than a producer. For now though, it is imperfect, and will be for some time. Its future is foggy, but with the right steps it can become truly great.