A new AI system, ChatGPT, is taking the internet by storm. Built by software developer OpenAI, the online chatbot can answer pretty much any question you throw at it, whether it is math-related, historical, an essay prompt, a script, a rap song, coding in any coding language, etc. OpenAI’s mission statement reads, “Our mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.” 

Anyone who has used ChatGPT can vouch for the program; its responses are remarkably human-like, and it’s pretty fun to play around with. Unlike other AIs like Siri, which have a set amount of programmed responses, ChatGPT can rephrase itself over and over if you tell it to. The AI will work with what you give it, so the more specific you are in your request, the more accurate of an answer you will get. OpenAI assures the public the best from them is yet to come, and they hope to release an improved model next year. 

The benefits to AIs like ChatGPT are numerous; It could easily improve efficiency in research papers and coding. Time becomes a non factor, ChatGPT exponentially speeds up the time needed to research specific topics. The AI can also help app developers solve bugs quicker and more efficiently, and scan social media posts en masse for content violating community guidelines. AI systems like this are already in place at companies like Instagram and Twitter.

But once you start brainstorming the negative effects, they really never end. The use of ChatGPT to write school essays and answer math problems will dissuade students from doing their own work and research, effectively killing creativity in the work. Another implication is AI replacing human jobs. If an AI is more efficient at a task than a human, the human isn’t necessary anymore. To big corporations like car manufacturers and social media companies, AI like ChatGPT may be very attractive, and it may end up replacing jobs held by humans. Another negative effect, that is already being seen in applications like Google Translate, is ChatGPT’s ability to instantly and accurately translate between languages. This may discourage people from learning new languages, and just become reliant on AI. 

Overall, ChatGPT has evident pros and cons, but a lot of questions and concerns need to be answered before we can safely place our confidence in the AI. ChatGPT is only the first step of many towards extremely advanced AI technology, I.E, it is only going to get more accurate, and by default, more controversial.