Artificial Intelligence Vs Humans: Chatting with ChatGPT on all things AI

Now that we are in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), there is a sense of euphoria that technology has advanced to such a stage where, if needed, it can replace humans and therefore ease the burden on us as we remain smug that all jobs will be performed diligently as long as AI is in charge.

On the other hand, there are theories and fears that this boon could soon turn into a bane if not handled responsibly and with checks in place.

But then again, are we overthinking and giving a negative spin to something that should only be lauded? Yet these thoughts do silently creep up at times.

Should we instead think that humans and AI can work together to create a better world?

Or what if we wake up one day to find that we have become completely redundant, at least where our jobs are concerned, and see the grinning spectre of AI looming large as it goes to work for us, pays our bills, does all our bank transactions, manages our home, tells our kids how to do their homework, even gives them or even us advice on our love lives and well, just makes our life easier or makes us feel completely useless.

This could very well be a scene from a science fiction movie depicting a dystopian future where robots have taken over the world and we are all slaves to it, at least in this fantasy land.

Till one is jolted back to reality with a thud. 

After all, AI is just trying to replicate human intelligence in a machine which can mean planning, learning, reasoning, problem-solving, decision-making and so many other things. For years researchers and engineers have been working on systems that enable learning algorithms to feed computer data to AI systems and help them perform their tasks through statistical techniques. As they perform their tasks, they get better and better and better and there seems to be no stopping.

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And then a pertinent question. Who set the ball rolling for AI to make such gigantic strides today, as it is? Flashback to the 1950s when AI was alluded to as Synthetic Intelligence and then to the Dartmouth conference, which according to data from Stanford University, had computer scientist John McCarthy leading a pack of other researchers to begin the first founding work of Artificial Intelligence and lay the groundwork for all the progress we see in this field now.

And AI is progressing by leaps and bounds so much so that it has infiltrated into every bit of our lives now, in insidious ways.

A May 2023 report in statista.com by Bergur Thormundsson, supported with data from Next Move Strategy Consulting says that the market for artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to show strong growth in the coming decade. Its value of nearly 100 billion US dollars is expected to grow twentyfold by 2030, up to nearly two trillion US dollars. It covers supply chains, marketing, product making, research, analysis, and more. Chatbots, image-generating AI, and mobile applications are the major trends in improving AI in the coming years.

So it’s time for us to finally wake up and smell the roses?

Quite frankly, I don’t know how late I am to the party. But it was only last week that I finally managed to have a chat with the trendiest chatbot of them all, the OpenAI-developed ChatGPT which has been creating quite a stir.

Did it enlighten me? Or did I come back bored with its diplomatic answers? You figure that out!

Me: Is it AI Vs the human race now?
AI: Our job is to assist humans and make their lives easier, while it is true that AI and automation are changing the nature of work and while some jobs may be rendered obsolete, there will also be new jobs created. Human intelligence, creativity and critical thinking are something we can't replace.

Me: Are the jobs of journalists more at risk than others?
AI: I am capable of processing vast amounts of data and generating written content but I will still lack the human empathy, judgement and creativity that a journalist will have!

Me: Can AI can be a hundred per cent accurate or fallible as humans are?
AI: Here, we are similar as even AI cannot be a hundred per cent accurate. The thing is, humans can recognise their mistakes and AI, not so much.

Me: Ah, so humans are superior?
AI (with a hint of conceit?):  Well, I do not hold the belief that one form of intelligence is inherently superior to the other.

Me: Okay, so ethics and AI. What’s the real deal?
AI: Our researchers and engineers work to ensure that AI is developed safely and responsibly with appropriate safeguards to prevent malfunctioning.

Me: Can you still go berserk sometimes and prove a danger to us?
AI: I cannot intentionally go berserk or create chaos. However, in technology, there are always unintended consequences or errors.

Me: AI and Humans. Which 5 things AI can do well and which 5 can humans do well?
AI: We are good at natural language processing, text generation, information retrieval, conversational AI and text classification. As for humans, they have the added values of creativity, empathy, adaptability, collaboration and curiosity.

Me: What about breach of privacy and data? How do we deal with that?
AI: Yes, we can infiltrate systems and breach privacy data. You can still combat that by developing secure coding practices, implementing encryption and other security protocols, and conducting regular security audits and vulnerability assessments. AI is not inherently good or bad but it is to be used intelligently in an ethical manner with safeguards.

Me: (tired of serious answers to my serious questions) Uh, do you have a funny bone? Can you sometimes be a bit humorous and easygoing?
AI: Of course, I can give a fun answer! Here's one:
One of the best parts of being an AI is that I don't have to worry about getting tired or hungry. I can work tirelessly 24/7 without needing to take a break for a snack or a nap. This means I can keep chatting with you and answering your questions for as long as you'd like! :)

Me: Hmm..nice..one last question. Why does Elon Musk think AI is dangerous? Is he right?
AI: The question of whether Elon Musk is right about AI is a matter of perspective and ongoing debate within the AI community. Some AI researchers and experts believe that Musk's concerns may be overly pessimistic or exaggerated. While he has raised concerns about AI, he is not completely against its development. In fact, he is actively involved in various AI-related projects.

As a parting shot. AI says: I generated this quote for you!
"Artificial intelligence is the reflection of our own creativity, a testament to our ability to mimic and transcend the capabilities of our own minds."

Wow.

I close the chat, humbled by AI who seems to have the right answer to everything. I also think that maybe being emotionless is a good thing when it comes to matters of the mind. At least our judgment would never be clouded.

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