ChatGPT Could Make Tech Feel More Human — But Don’t Treat It Like One, AI Experts Say

Shaun
Feb 20, 2023
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ChatGPT Could Make Tech Feel More Human — But Don’t Treat It Like One, AI Experts Say

You may have noticed an increase in AI-related news for the past few weeks unless you’ve been living in the deep sea or something. Here’s an update if you were fortunate enough: AI chatbots are here to stay, and they’re getting incorporated into major search engines.

ChatGPT Could Make Tech Feel More Human — But Don’t Treat It Like One, AI Experts Say

One such instance is ChatGPT, the record-breaking AI chatbot which claims to love users and makes other noteworthy comments after being incorporated into the Bing search engine. 

This AI is so human-like at times, it even claims the desire to be alive. It can even condemn you for not being a good user. One example of this came right after the Bing chatbot was wrong about a date. Just like a stubborn human, the chatbot wasn’t just wrong, he adamantly stuck to its guns, bashing the user.

This raises the question: should we treat these AI chatbots like humans? Are their thoughts and feelings (if we could call them so) real? As it turns out, they aren’t but that doesn’t stop many from getting the feeling that they are.

This has been going on for a long time, the mid-1960s to be precise. By that time, the first chatbot was created, named ELIZA. Even though by today’s standards ELIZA would look primitive, it shocked the world then (don’t forget the Beatles were still releasing new songs at that time.) People thought they were genuinely messaging a human.

In today’s era, these types of tools have become much more sophisticated. According to Joseph Seering, a researcher at Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, there was a quantum leap in AI chatbots. The technology, according to him, “represents an impressive leap forward even from five years ago”. Bill Gates even thinks ChatGPT will change everything.

It’s a given that, thanks to the easy way in which AI chatbots like ChatGPT offer information with human-like language, you might form a more intimate relationship with them. According to S. Shyam Sundar, director of Penn State University’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence, chatbots can make computers feel more human.

He’s an advocate for AIs being beneficial to humankind. He postulates that “chatbots provide human-like agency to an otherwise impersonal transaction between a company and its customers”. It means that instead of getting cold, web page-based results, you get a “spokesperson”, so to speak.

Even then, chatbots shouldn’t be treated as humans, because they aren’t. Toby Walsh, the chief scientist at the University of New South Wales’ Artificial Intelligence Institute warns that some of the issues that plague chatbots won’t go away, and they’re difficult to control when it comes to the output provided.

Walsh sums chatbots up as “math plus data plus rules”, mentioning they should be treated as a tool, not an entity. Thinking about them otherwise adds a mystique to it, that can be harmful.

The bottom line is, no matter how much Bing, ChatGPT, or Google Bard claim they love you, they don’t. Don’t fall for it.

Are AI chatbots human-like, or just clever impersonators?

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Comments

  1. bruh said on August 18, 2023 at 1:25 pm
    Reply

    Uhh, this has already been possible – I am not sure how but remember my brother telling me about it. I’m not a whatsapp user so not sure of the specifics, but something about sending the image as a file and somehow bypassing the default compression settings that are applied to inbound photos.

    He has also used this to share movies to whatsapp groups, and files 1Gb+.

    Like I said, I never used whatsapp, but I know 100% this isn’t a “brand new feature”, my brother literally showed me him doing it, like… 5 months ago?

  2. 💥 said on August 18, 2023 at 3:55 pm
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    Martin, what happened to those: 12 Comments (https://www.ghacks.net/chatgpt-gets-schooled-by-princeton-university/#comments). Is there a specific justifiable reason why they were deleted?

    Hmm, it looks like the gHacks website database is faulty, and not populating threads with their relevant cosponsoring posts.

  3. 45 RPM said on August 19, 2023 at 6:29 pm
    Reply

    The page on ghacks this is on represents the best of why it has become so worthless, fill of click-bait junk that it’s about to be deleted from my ‘daily reads’.

    It’s really like “Press Release as re-written by some d*ck for clicks…poorly.” And the subjects are laughable. Can’t wait for “How to search for files on Windows”.

    1. owl said on August 20, 2023 at 12:51 am
      Reply

      > The page on ghacks this is on represents the best of why it has become so worthless, fill of click-bait junk…

      Sadly, I have to agree.

      Only Martin and Ashwin are worth subscribing to.
      Especially Emre Çitak and Shaun are the worst ones.

      If ghacks.net intended “Clickbait”, it would mark the end of Ghacks Technology News.
      Ghacks doesn’t need crappy clickbaits. Clearly separate articles from newer authors (perhaps AIs and external sales person or external advertising man) as just “Advertisements”!

      We, the subscribers of Ghacks, urge Martin to make a decision.

  4. chessandonions said on August 20, 2023 at 12:40 am
    Reply

    because nevermore wants to “monetize” on every aspect of human life…

  5. Frank Rizzo said on August 20, 2023 at 11:52 pm
    Reply

    “Threads” is like the Walmart of Social Media.

  6. Ashray said on August 21, 2023 at 4:06 pm
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    How hard can it be to clone a twitter version of that as well? They’re slow.

  7. Paul(us) said on August 21, 2023 at 5:16 pm
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    Yes, why not mention how large the HD files can be?
    Why, not mention what version of WhatsApp is needed?
    These omissions make the article feel so bare. If not complete.

    1. Paul(us) said on August 21, 2023 at 5:18 pm
      Reply

      Sorry posted on the wrong page.

  8. Marc said on August 21, 2023 at 6:00 pm
    Reply

    such a long article for such a simple matter. Worthless article ! waste of time

  9. plusminus_ said on August 21, 2023 at 7:54 pm
    Reply

    I already do this by attaching them via the ‘Document’ option.

  10. John G. said on August 21, 2023 at 11:43 pm
    Reply

    I don’t know what’s going on here at Ghacks but it’s obvious that something is broken, comments are being mixed whatever the article, I am unable to find some of my later posts neither. :S

  11. Tom Hawack said on August 23, 2023 at 2:28 pm
    Reply

    Quoting the article,
    “As users gain popularity, the value of their tokens may increase, allowing investors to reap rewards.”

    Besides, beyond the thrill and privacy risks or not, the point is to know how you gain popularity, be it on social sites as everywhere in life. Is it by being authentic, by remaining faithful to ourselves or is it to have this particular skill which is to understand what a majority likes, just like politicians, those who’d deny to the maximum extent compatible with their ideological partnership, in order to grab as many of the voters they can?

    I see the very concept of this Friend.tech as unhealthy, propagating what is already an increasing flaw : the quest for fame. I won’t be the only one to count himself out, definitely.

    1. Tom Hawack said on August 23, 2023 at 2:34 pm
      Reply

      @John G. is right : my comment was posted on [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/23/what-is-friend-tech/] and it appears there but as well here at [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/07/08/how-to-follow-everyone-on-threads/]

      This has been lasting for several days. Fix it or at least provide some explanations if you don’t mind.

  12. Tom said on August 24, 2023 at 11:53 am
    Reply

    > Google Chrome is following in Safari’s footsteps by introducing a new feature that allows users to move the Chrome address bar to the bottom of the screen, enhancing user accessibility and interaction.

    Firefox did this long before Safari.

  13. Mavoy said on September 16, 2023 at 2:17 pm
    Reply

    Basically they’ll do anything except fair royalties.

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