06 March 2023

Chatting it up with ChatGPT: The Pros and Cons

Whether you are a tech enthusiast or not, you will probably have heard of ChatGPT, which is building a reputation that is leading industry professionals to suggest that AI may replace Google. AI is nothing new to people in tech – however, what makes ChatGPT stand out is its incredible depth and smart filtering of information – resulting in detailed answers to questions that are backed up by context and are personalised to the preferences of the user.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a piece of AI software by OpenAI. The AI is presented in the form of a chatbot, which officially launched in November 2022 and quickly became known for its detailed responses and humanistic, articulate answers across a variety of subjects and topics. ChatGPT has been trained to refuse to answer questions that could promote illegal activity and problematic behaviour. The possibilities are almost endless… for example the title of this article was written by ChatGPT itself! But what are the pros and cons?

What are the real-world applications?

ChatGPT can potentially assist and more in a lot of professional settings:

• Software Development and Programming – OpenAI boasts its application in debugging code as an example of what ChatGPT can do. The AI can boost productivity by assisting developers in automating repetitive tasks and answering questions relating to code freeing up time for more complex tasks. ChatGPT can process information quickly in real-time and provide developers with access to a large and diverse knowledge base, allowing them to make informed decisions quickly and efficiently.
• Business Development – ChatGPT is able to write detailed, automated sales and marketing campaigns, as well as writing routine sales pitches and marketing tasks. When targeting specific companies or customer demographics, given the right information, ChatGPT can personalise campaigns based on preferences and history.
• Day-to-day assistance – ChatGPT can essentially act as a personal assistant, having the ability to set up scheduling, reminders and other tasks. In a similar way to a search engine, ChatGPT can provide answers quickly and in real-time. If you’re abroad and need quick and easy translation, the model can assist with this too. If you’ve just finished an excellent TV series and want another recommendation based on your enjoyment of that particular show, ChatGPT can do that too. This is also applicable to travel destinations, movie tips and shopping recommendations. ChatGPT is also very fun to just play with!

What could go wrong?

• Software Development and Programming – ChatGPT is only as accurate as the data it was trained on. If given wrong information or not given enough context by the user, this can cause major problems in the software development process. There are also the ethical considerations that would be prevalent in any field – particularly ChatGPT or any AI having the potential to replace human workers.
• Business Development – when it comes to business development and marketing strategies, standing out isn’t easy. A high level of creative input is fundamental to this process. As AI’s don’t have the capability to act emotively or produce ‘out the box’ thinking, then the campaigns and responses it produces may lack creativity and flair. If the training data that ChatGPT has been fed is biased, then this bias will be reflected in its responses – compromising decision-making and potentially leading to misinformation .

Conclusion…

OpenAI has been backed by Microsoft with a 2023 investment to integrate the company’s AI technology into Microsoft’s products. The partnership aims to drive innovation in NLP, computer vision and robotics. This investment showcases the importance of AI moving forward, and the advancement of this field promises to have a significant impact on the future of technology. Whether ChatGPT is something you’re on board with or not, no-one can deny that the implications of this technology are thought-provoking and potentially revolutionary.

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