Why Generative AI is the next big leap!

ChatGPT has taken the world by storm. Apps powered by large language models (LLMs) have suddenly taken centre stage, with OpenAI, Google, Baidu and Microsoft getting into the act. OpenAI has recently launched GPT-4 - a multimodal LLM to combine text images, video, and audio, that can generate music, videos, and contextual stories.?

A spurt of start-ups and use cases have emerged on the scene. Suddenly, generative AI, a branch to which these LLMs belong, seem to dominate every conversation, not just in the technology industry but among professionals world over.?

As in the case of a big level-up in technology, the world seems to be divided on generative AI’s broader impact. While some opine with scepticism and portray a gloomy scenario of the future with massive unemployment and lesser relevance to us as a species, others vouch for the fact that we are in for the next big ride, where an era of creativity and critical thinking will unveil itself. Some have gone as far as to say that generative AI could even be turning off people’s critical reasoning abilities, while others believe that it will drive that up exponentially. It is the latter part that I wanted to introspect upon.

As human beings, the greatest evolution since turning bipedal is the development of the Broca’s area of the brain. This is a key component of our ability to develop speech.?Our unique larynx (an organ at the lower end of the throat) allows us to emit distinct sounds, which sets us apart from every other species. Speech allowed us to communicate thought, emotion, feelings, and ideas. Developing language as a syntax to understand one another is perhaps the greatest technology that is ever developed. Add to this many inventions, like the wheel, steam engine, internet, and mobile phones, that have just accelerated our ability to communicate and collaborate.

For close to half-a-century or so, interacting with machines needed us to learn specific programming languages and tools.?Tweaking and tuning computers was an engineering subject and proficiency was required to leverage the machines.?With the advancements of machine learning in the last decade, we could leverage the superior power of machines to discover complex patterns. However, machine learning still required deep understanding of training and fine-tuning of the machines to accomplish specific tasks and, that too, with limitations.??

This is precisely what I believe has changed with the latest advancements in generative AI. Through simple tools, such as ChatGPT, an average person can co-opt machines into his or her day-to-day tasks. The bar for leveraging complex technology has been lowered massively. We now have a companion that can answer our queries with a point of view. This form of AI is constantly learning and evolving. It can not only help us with mundane tasks but can also educate us.?We are now able to probe, poke and question the cognitive skills of the machines using our own language and techniques. We can now use them to convert our ideas to spark a new level of collective thinking. I believe that generative AI, and tools like ChatGPT, have ushered in an era to unlock this potential.?

Perhaps, the leap we have made in the history of machine technology using generative AI is this – to be able to work with machines, like we would work with any other friend or colleague, in a collaborative way to achieve common goals. Much like how speech and language technologies have enabled us to differentiate ourselves from other species and collaborate amongst ourselves.?

Welcome to the machine species!!

Kirk Pattinson , Jeff Starke , Siva Sai N , Scott Stone , Aiman Abdel-Malek, Ph.D. , Kashyap Kompella, CFA , Rahul Mehta , Sairam Vedam , Rita Sallam , Rama Devi Lanka