Since its November 30 release, ChatGPT, OpenAI’s newest chatbot, has taken over the internet and threatened to disrupt many aspects of our lives. It may be the first time in history that technology is endangering white-collar jobs that depend on content creation, like those of playwrights, programmers, professors and journalists.
However, talking to ChatGPT is enjoyable. When I inquired as to the sum of 2 and 5, it responded, “2+5 = 7.” Good. “My wife says it’s 8, and my wife is always right,” I then wanted to mock. But ChatGPT responded, “Well, mathematically speaking, 2+5 = 7. But, if your wife says it’s 8, then that’s what it is in your relationship.”
Amazing! I could not have anticipated a greater response! Yes, one might be taken aback by ChatGPT’s wisdom, discernment, and civility, but you might also be shocked by its ignorance at times. For instance, I asked about some high school-level elementary mathematics — “Is the sum of two complex numbers always complex?” — in one of my chats with ChatGPT. “Yes,” it answered back. What a silly mistake by the AI!
When I cited a counterexample, ChatGPT quickly acknowledged its error: “You are correct,” it said, “the sum... is a real number and not a complex number.” Definitely enough good manners. But I worry how an AI that isn’t proficient in high school mathematics might destabilise the rhythm of our lifestyle.
The training data for ChatGPT only goes as far as 2021, which is another problem. Consequently, according to ChatGPT, the UK’s current prime minister is Boris Johnson. It reminds me of Manny, the narrator’s 3-year-old brother in The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, who made a similar excuse when he damaged his stuff: “I’M OWNWY THWEE!”
However, ChatGPT has undoubtedly intensified competition for Google’s search engine. As a response to ChatGPT for conversational search, Google was forced to introduce its chatbot, “Bard.” Undoubtedly, a new corporate battle is brewing.
Piano or guitar?
To demonstrate the potential advantages of Bard, Google used a question like “Is it easier to learn the piano or the guitar?” Bard responds, saying “some say the piano is easier to learn, as the finger and hand movements are more natural, and learning and memorizing notes can be easier. Others say that it’s easier to learn chords on the guitar and you could pick up a strumming pattern in a couple of hours.”
In any case, when I posed the identical query to ChatGPT, I received a response that was strikingly similar: “[it] depends on several factors, including the individual’s prior musical experience, their learning style, and their physical abilities. ...the piano ...only requires the use of 10 fingers and has a straightforward layout of keys. ...playing the guitar requires mastery of chord progressions and strumming patterns...” Well, ChatGPT or Bard: is it like a choice between two coffee shops for a cup of refreshment then?
However, Google is integrating Bard’s technology into its search engine to enable complex queries. Bard “draws on information from the web to provide fresh, high-quality responses,” according to Sundar Pichai. Bard may therefore be exempt from the “I’m ownwy 21”-type dilemma.
The writer is Professor of Statistics, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata