Edition 9: ChatGPT: Where do we go from here?

“Have you guys looked at ChatGPT yet?”, MG asked eagerly, sliding into the seat next to SM and SC at their usual table at their weekend hangout spot. “Guys, this is a watershed moment for technology. In my opinion, the potential for disruption here is even greater than the iPhone in 2007!”

“Hold on a sec," SC said calmly as he squeezed a lemon wedge into his drink. "Let's fix our drinks first and then talk.”

SM cleared his throat and lifted his glass. "Ahem. Cheers! To AI," he said with a smile. "Hope you guys are ready for a long discussion." The three friends clinked their glasses together and took a sip.

"I always believed that creativity was one area where human ingenuity would always triumph over AI," MG said, leaning forward. "But seeing AI create an aphorism like Ogden Nash's has really changed my perspective. For an aspiring writer like me, it's the ultimate test of AI's capabilities.”

"I'm not convinced," SC countered, shaking his head. "You know, when you think about how Asimov brought science and fiction together and pushed the boundaries of imagination, that's real creativity. That's what sets humans apart.”

"Of course, Asimov would crash this party eventually," SM interrupted with a chuckle. "I knew it was only a matter of time.” The three smiled at took another swig.

"SC, I understand your point, but I wanted to specifically draw your attention to ChatGPT's 'generative' capabilities," MG replied, making quotation marks with his fingers in the air. "I’ll put it this way. As data tends to infinity, the gap between human and AI capability tends to zero. In other words, all we need is enough data for training, and even domains that were once thought to be purely human can be overtaken by AI.”

"Well, I definitely asked it that," SM announced, raising his hand. "I asked whether it passed the Turing test. Unfortunately, the answer I got was something like 'It was specifically designed not to.'”

"Hmm. Could be one of those canned responses," MG frowned. "But enough about that. Let me switch gears to a topic that's already been beaten to death: jobs. Actually, I'm excited about this area. Contrary to widespread belief, I think AI will create more jobs than it replaces. If we look back, we can see this trend going all the way back to the industrial revolution.”

"Incidentally, I was listening to Yuval Noah Harari's audiobook on the way here," SC replied. "He makes a strong argument against what you just said. In my opinion, this technology is disruptive, and not in a good way.”

"I also think the impact may be underestimated," SM asserted, a look of worry on his face. "Our demographic picture might throw in some unanticipated challenges. Not everyone would have an easy transition to an AI-assisted job either.”

"We don't know what we can't see yet," MG contested. "We may be biased to believe in a negative outlook because that's what the media sells, and it sells well. Let me give a simple, but hopefully representative scenario. SM, didn't you mention seeing a bunch of new openings on LinkedIn for 'Prompt Engineers' just the other day? Since when has that role existed? If content people straddle into prompt engineering, that isn’t necessarily a terrible thing, right?”

"Yeah, right. Turning everyone into an engineer is representative?" SC retorted condescendingly.

“If problems can be engineered in this world, so can solutions”, MG responded prophetically.

(Laughs)

“Cheers to Unknown Unknowns then!”, SM announced, raising his glass.

The Gentlemen clinked their glasses and the discussion continued into the evening.