From “Wild” to “Tamed”: My experiences with ChatGPT

You can’t avoid all this talk about artificial intelligence (AI). Consider a few headlines from CNN:

• “AI girlfriends are here and they’re posing a threat to a generation of men”
• “‘Godfather of AI’ warns that AI may figure out how to kill people”

Probably the most talked about AI tech is ChatGPT. ChatGPT is probably the most well-known chatbot, a form of artificial intelligence in which a computer uses a database of past conversations in the past to chat with the present user (this is a simplification, but not an oversimplification. The bot is fed the text of real conversations had by humans in the past, identifies patterns in those conversations, and then approximates a real conversation when given a prompt by a human in the present. The GPT stands for “generative pre-trained transformers,” a particular AI technology used to generate new human-like content (thus the term generative).

ChatGPT has gotten its share of headlines. Again, a few from CNN:

• “How the technology behind ChatGPT could make mind-reading a reality”
• “Plagiarism expert warns new AI app will be a game changer for cheaters”

On the one hand, media outlets like CNN must generate these eye-catching headlines and stories to attract eyeballs. Talking about how AI can kill people is just simply good business if you are in the entertainment business. On the other hand, there is some justifiable concern about the…