Chat GPT, OpenAI and Future
- tafadzwais
- Apr 8
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
The modern day has brought new technologies, one of which is the rise of Artificial Intelligence (aka AI) and its integration into processes, technologies, and further markets in the economy. Fierce competition continues with market-acquiring companies such as Microsoft Azure, Google Gemini, and Apple Intelligence.
Who are OpenAI and Chat GPT?
OpenAI fits into this category as it has been one of the first companies to release free-to-use software versions to the public. It would seem that OpenAI, the parent company of chatbot service, Chat GPT, are known to most of the internet world constantly name-dropped by influencers and coders alike. If you have not used Chat GPT (latest GPT-4), this is a text-and-response chatbot mobile and web application which engages with the human public to receive prompts from the public and attempt to generate informed and precise responses in a human-like manner.
"OpenAI is a non-profit artificial intelligence research company. Our goal is to advance digital intelligence in the way that is most likely to benefit humanity as a whole, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return. Since our research is free from financial obligations, we can better focus on a positive human impact.
We believe AI should be an extension of individual human wills and, in the spirit of liberty, as broadly and evenly distributed as possible. The outcome of this venture is uncertain and the work is difficult, but we believe the goal and the structure are right. We hope this is what matters most to the best in the field."
OpenAI and Chat GPT Impact
Chat GPT has increased its controversy surrounding its application to professional workplaces and education in particular. The essentials of innovation and technological advances are to make life easier so the opposition to such tools as this seems to be contradictory.
Released in 2022, Chatbot services from the original GPT-1 to the most up-to-date GPT-4, are used for content generation, idea creation, and stylistic editing, helping both expert and novice writers, showing the market for those still in need of perfecting touches to improve the ability at the particular task. The fact that the richest man on earth according to net worth, was a co-chair of the company helped launch its success, with chair, Sam Altman. Musk has since left the company's board in 2018 and has since launched his own AI company, xAI, which competes with OpenAI.
A recent survey carried out by Microsoft, The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey, came with some of the following research conclusions:
"Interaction Design can encourage critical or reflective thinking" - the idea of providing critical thinking prompts, through presenting AI explanations as questions rather than statements.
Adding AI safeguards such as "Attention Checks", "Conflict-Filled Discussion" and "Gamification of Critical Thinking"
"AI-generated feedback can improve writing quality and logical structure, especially for lower-performing students and less confident English learners. Thus, equipping AI tools with better feedback mechanisms could foster long-term writing skill development while addressing inequalities in access to writing education"
"Overreliance", a real possibility from the accessibility of the software and the lack of methods to promote critical thinking.
The survey itself included participants through the Prolific platform who self-reported using GenAI tools at work at least once per week." Survey results came from 319 responses broken down to 159 men, 153 women, 7 other.
Participants were asked to share three real examples of their GenAI tool use at work.
Participants were asked to think of three different examples, one for each task type: Creation, Information, and Advice (sharing an example of each task in detail).
After participants shared three examples of using GenAI tools, the survey assessed their overall reflective thinking tendency, trust in GenAI, and demographic details such as gender, age group, and occupation.
The conclusion to this survey ended with users relying on GenAI applications when they feel less confident in their ability to exhibit critical thinking. The other result was the users feeling confident with the ability the AI exhibited to carry out the task effectively.
Here are a few responses from the users:
“The reason I use AI is because, in sales, I must reach a certain quota daily or risk losing my job. Ergo, I use AI to save time and don’t have much room to ponder over the result.”
“With straightforward factual information, ChatGPT usually gives good answers.”
“It’s a simple task [make a passage professional] and I knew ChatGPT could do it without difficulty, so I just never thought about it, as critical thinking didn’t feel relevant.”
“the AI does not understand the niche type of work I do. I have to adapt the output to fit my needs.”
Future Impact
From Open AI's self-description, they have not had the major concern of generating profit but instead they look to be built as an innovation first company. A noble goal if any as it prioritises research and development of a product, in this case the software, to learn as much as possible to better serve the requests given to it.
The real question is, to what end?
Every private company's goal is to eventually generate profit. The goal could be to utilise the refinement of the intelligence to be the standard by far through the amount of engagement it's received over the years to eventually sell the finished product. Another goal could be to have the most advanced research for AI as a basis of control. Musk has previously raised concerns about the lack of oversight some artificial intelligence applications have.
Humanoid robots will outnumber people on earth, and every country will have “AIs or multiple AIs”, at a quantity of at least 10 billion at the approximate price point of $20,000 to $25,000 per robot - Musk said at Saudi Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative summit in Riyadh.
In some sense, it is quite meta to observe how a manually written article such as this one can criticise the legitimacy of artificial intelligence's impact on critical thinking. At the end of the day, you are reading a systemised grouping of text which we believe will be valuable. Any different from all the machine-learning chat services?
Cloutskout does not use applications to generate content like Chat GPT, but if users request, consume and engage with information the same way (due to a lack of critical thinking), the ability of human-inspired content will be what the market values if it can stand out enough and be engaging enough to stimulate not only to entertain but to also inform its audience.
Glossary
Artificial Intelligence... a field of science where computers and machines that can reason, learn, and act in such a way that would normally require human intelligence
... data whose scale exceeds what humans can analyze.
Interaction Design... the practice of designing how people interact with products, services, and systems, aiming to create meaningful and effective experiences.
Market... a space where there are buyers (demand) and sellers (supply). This can be physical (retail outlet) or virtual (stock-market).
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