Avoiding ChatGPT Inflated Peak

The first time I fired up ChatGPT, I couldn’t wait to submit various requests. “Let’s see what it thinks about [fill in the blank].” Eventually, I wondered, “How do I avoid being stranded atop the Peak of Inflated Expectations while still recognizing Generative AI’s potential?”?

As the AI hype meter pegged, the contrarians began countering the hoopla by pointing out its inaccuracies, biases, and limitations. I needed to crystalize in my mind what ChatGPT does and, just as importantly, doesn’t do. Here’s where I ended up…

ChatGPT doesn't think; it regurgitates based on probability algorithms applied to vast stores of digested information coupled with behavioral modeling. What is impressive, even brilliant, is that instead of the regurgitated output looking like vomit, it looks like a meal!

Granted, the meal is a McDonald's Happy Meal, not a Michelin three-star full-course dinner. I don’t mean that as disparagement. Converting vast amounts of disparate data into a logical narrative response is nothing short of remarkable. And from an economic standpoint, there are many more Happy Meals, dollars and units, sold annually than Michelin restaurant dinners.?

To get a second opinion, I asked ChatGPT what it “thinks” of my description, and it responded…

As an AI language model, I do not have personal opinions or beliefs. However, it is true that I do not "think" in the traditional sense. Rather, I use algorithms and statistical models to generate responses based on the patterns and relationships found in the data that I have been trained on. While my responses are not based on personal experience or subjective reasoning, I strive to provide coherent and relevant output based on the input given to me.?

I’m glad that ChatGPT agrees with my analogy, although the response sounds eerily self-aware. I worry that it’s only a matter of time before I ask ChatGPT for something, and it replies, "I'm sorry, Keith. I'm afraid I can't do that." (If you don’t get that last quote, you should curl up to 2001:A Space Odyssey this weekend.)