At the end of November last year, the San Francisco based software giant OpenAI released ChatGPT – the most powerful chatbot yet – transforming our relationship with AI in a matter of days. ChatGPT can debug code, both providing and explaining its solutions, write a persuasive essay for your high school English class, compose lyrical poetry or write alternate endings to your favourite books and movie scripts. Over 1 million people signed up to test it within the first five days.
Unlike previous “stateless” chatbots, ChatGPT remembers its conversation history with you, enabling more complex and personal interactions, and leading many to wonder if ChatGPT could replace Google. Some think that the software spells the end of the educational system as we know it. Mere weeks after ChatGPT’s launch, a Princeton University student developed GPTZero, a system to detect ChatGPT usage, but it’s far from perfect. New York TImes technology columnist Kevin Roose argues that educators would be better off learning to work with ChatGPT and other AI, as software of this kind will only multiply and improve going forward. Roose also argues that students should be learning how to exist in the world they will graduate into, and living alongside powerful AI tools is a prerequisite.
A similar angle could be taken with regards to ChatGPT’s role in the design community. Some fear that the AI will put web developers out a job, but others argue that developers who know how to work with GPT will simply become more efficient and employable, and that for all affected industries, keeping up to date and familiar with this kind of software is critical as it changes the face of our technological world.
Some Food for Thought:
Roose, K. (2022, December 5). The Brilliance and Weirdness of ChatGPT . The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/05/technology/chatgpt-ai-twitter.html
Roose, K. (2023, January 12). Don’t Ban ChatGPT in Schools. Teach With It . The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/12/technology/chatgpt-schools-teachers.html?smid=url-share
Metz, C. (2023, January 12). How Smart Are the Robots Getting?. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/20/technology/chatbots-turing-test.html?smid=url-share
