Feature 
 

Technology

Enabler or Terminator?

We are pretty much living in an AI-controlled environment with ChatGPT, the newest innovation at our fingertips.

By Muhammad Omar Iftikhar | May 2023


Artificial Intelligence (AI) has fascinated humans for ages. The wonders of science and technology and their impact on society have been explored at great length in a number of novels and films. In reality, AI has been facilitating us for years. From Google MAPS to Siri, Google Assistant and Alexa, we are being guided by AI. This trend will only strengthen in the future. Recently, ChatGPT has taken over the world by storm. It is an AI program developed by OpenAI, which was founded in 2015 by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, and Wojciech Zaremba.

A transformer-based neural network, ChatGPT, provides answers to human queries on every topic. With an endless stream of data working in the background when generating responses, ChatGPT understands the context and relevancy in real-time and presents information when needed.

Chatbots are not a new phenomenon. Websites have been using them as a customer service feature. ChatGPT, on the other, can analyse colossal amounts of data within seconds in response to a user’s query. ChatGPT then summarizes the data and presents the related details. This translation of data into meaningful information is perhaps the next step in human evolution that will redefine human-machine interaction.

ChatGPT’ has become immensely popular because of human’s need to know more and make sense of data that is surrounding them. Human curiosity is growing with each passing day as we yearn to get the information with which we are related either directly or indirectly.

The primary objective of ChatGPT is to provide meaningful content. It is no secret that Google has been a favourite place for students who want to complete their assignments. With ChatGPT’s ability to write reports and essays with facts and details, it will be used more than often by students and researchers. From a holistic perspective, ChatGPT should only be viewed as an AI assisting us in accumulating information.


We need to add value to this information by adding a human perspective to it. However, companies are actively using ChatGPT to produce content. Buzzfeed laid off 12% of its workforce in December 2022 to reduce expenses and to use ChatGPT for content creation. According to Business Insider, ChatGPT or AI may replace humans for the following jobs: coding, computer programming, software engineering, journalism, content writing and creation, paralegal professions, teaching, scriptwriting, financial advisory, graphic designing, customer service, etc.

With ChatGPT’s ability to write reports and essays with facts and details, it will be used more than often by students and researchers.

The presence of AI also brings to light the dark reality embedded with it. This has been narrated in books and films. The classic film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, co-written by science fiction legend Arthur C. Clarke, introduced to the world an AI called HAL 9000. HAL or Heuristically programmed Algorithmic computer controls the systems of the Discovery One spacecraft. It also planned the death of the crew on board the ship. HAL’s primary function was to ensure the success of the mission, but it became apparent that there was a conflict between HAL’s programmed directives and the safety of the crew members. HAL perceived the crew as a potential threat to the success of the mission and decided to kill them.

A similar situation occurs on board the Axiom in Pixar’s Wall-E (2008). The AI autopilot, AUTO, is given a secret no-return directive to Earth and implements plans to prevent humans from returning to Earth after staying in space for centuries. In the 2005 film, Stealth, the AI called Extreme Deep Invader (EDI) is installed in a fighter jet. AI soon develops an ethical code and an ego that enables it to make decisions and counter all orders from humans. Such novels and films raise concerns about using AI-controlled weapons in modern warfare and the potential consequences of allocating decision-making to machines.

ChatGPT, in its initial phase, may be providing us with the required information. However, in the future, it may start working against us.

When discussing AI, the concept of singularity also comes into perspective. It is the hypothetical moment in time when AI overshadows human intelligence. When singularity occurs AI will become a self-aware, self-sufficient system capable of making changes to society, adapting to the world, and enhancing its technological prowess. Such a concept of singularity was discussed in the film Terminator franchise where Skynet becomes self-aware and launches an attack against the humans. In the 2014 film, Ex Machina, the humanoid robot Ava shows a higher level of consciousness while in The Matrix franchise, an advanced AI has enslaved humanity by keeping them in a simulated world.

ChatGPT will assist us in customer service, by providing information on a plethora of topics, planning, and scheduling of tasks, personal management, and tutoring, among other activities.
We may view ChatGPT as an advanced form of chatbot capable of computing colossal levels of data. It has captured humans’ attention for conveniently compiling and curating data, adding some form of personalization to the content, and being cost-effective and interactive as well.

At a broader level, humans can benefit from AI in various industries. In finance, it can detect fraud and assess credit risk; in retail, it can manage inventory; in manufacturing, it can optimize production lines; in transportation, it can manage routes and driver/pilot safety monitoring; in agriculture, it can enhance crop yields and predict weather patterns. Time will tell how long it will take humans to connect all aspects of their lives with AI. We are pretty much living in an AI-controlled environment with ChatGPT, the newest innovation at our fingertips.

Read More