The Future of ChatGPT

Assuming you haven't been living under a rock for the past six months, you've likely heard of ChatGPT, perhaps even used it yourself. This remarkable AI has made history as the fastest-growing consumer application, amassing one hundred million active users within just two months of its release. It might seem like smooth sailing lies ahead for ChatGPT, but challenges remain on the horizon.

One pressing concern involves intellectual property issues related to AI systems like ChatGPT. For instance, Pearson, a leading textbook publisher, is currently pursuing legal action regarding the use of its intellectual property to train AI models. Such disputes may become increasingly common moving forward, casting uncertainty over ChatGPT's future.

As an illustration of ChatGPT's potential however, consider my experience last year with Premiere Pro, a video editing software. Despite investing considerable effort and relying on numerous YouTube tutorials, I could only manage to perform basic editing tasks. Becoming a power user would have required even more time and dedication, which I simply couldn't spare.

Now, imagine a different scenario, as depicted in Blade Runner, where Rick Deckard analyses a photo using straightforward voice commands:

"Enhance 224 to 176. Enhance. Stop. Move in. Stop. Pull out, track right. Stop. Centre and pull back. Stop. Track 45 right. Stop. Centre and stop. Enhance 34 to 36. Pan right and pull back. Stop. Enhance 34 to 46. Pull back. Wait a minute. Go right. Stop. Enhance 57 19. Track 45 left. Stop. Enhance 15 to 23. Give me a hard copy right there."

This scene captures the essence of ChatGPT's potential future: serving as a natural language user interface for various application suites that may otherwise demand significant time and effort to learn and master. This approach is already being implemented in Microsoft 365 Copilot, C3 AI, and Wolfram Alpha.

In conclusion, it seems likely that ChatGPT, or its equivalents, will become an integral part of our interactions with technology in the future. However, this development may not resemble its current form. As a natural language user interface, ChatGPT has the potential to revolutionize how we engage with software, making our interactions more intuitive, efficient, and user-friendly.