Becoming AI Literate: Harnessing the Power of ChatGPT

Thursday - May 18 2023, 06:19 UTC - 1 year ago

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot that enables real-time conversation. It can be used to relieve people's concerns about AI taking over the world or eliminating jobs, as well as being able to edit written work. However, users must remain aware of the capabilities of ChatGPT and other chatbots before having deep conversations with them.

When research and development company OpenAI released ChatGPT late last year, it instantly attracted the attention of the media and general public.In just two months, the artificial intelligence software—or a chatbot that can process natural human language and generate answers—reached 100 million active users monthly, beating TikTok (nine months), Instagram (20) and Uber (70) to that milestone.

"AI will become more and more ubiquitous. This trend cannot be stopped," says Dakuo Wang, associate professor at Northeastern University, whose research lies at the intersection of human-computer interaction and artificial intelligence.

Wang advises everyone who hasn't done so to try using the public version of ChatGPT.

"It's called AI literacy," Wang says. Everyone needs to start learning what AI can and cannot do, he says, and playing with ChatGPT can help relieve people's concerns about AI taking over the world or eliminating jobs. AI will change people's lives and jobs, Wang says, but it will not replace humans. Instead, more productive people who embrace AI will replace less productive people who are reluctant to learn how it works.

So, how can an average person use ChatGPT or other chatbots like Replika? Let's start with the less obvious ones.

--- Yes, you can have a conversation with chatbots --- .

When the public first received access to ChatGPT, people quickly started having personal conversations with it. In one case, the chatbot professed love to a New York Times reporter.

Replika is presented as a safe space to share thoughts, feelings and dreams with an AI companion that helps users learn more about themselves. The chatbot was created by a Russian-American entrepreneur Eugenia Kuyda to allow her to speak to a deceased friend.

--- But should I be sharing my deep secrets with AI? --- .

Is it healthy to have in-depth conversations with a chatbot when you are feeling lonely? Robert Volpe, professor and chair of the department of applied psychology at Northeastern, says talking to a chatbot can be therapeutic because it allows people to speak their minds, and it comes across as empathetic.

"If the chatbot asks you how your day was today and you say 'It is really crummy,'" Volpe says. "And "[then the chatbot says] 'Oh, tell me about that.' The part of just saying it out loud is therapeutic." .

--- Remember, chatbots are not your friend --- .

When someone begins to perceive a chatbot as a friend, they risk developing a strong attachment to the "cold machine." .

"It's the way we're wired," Volpe says. Users should be aware that chatbots have the potential to reinforce wrong ideas or affirm everything an individual tells them. For example, Volpe believes chatbots should not tell people how to behave or give advice to someone who is experiencing abuse or suicidal ideation. In those cases, they should reach out to human professionals.

--- ChatGPT can improve your writing --- .

So, chatbots can't be your friend, but ChatGPT could be better than a friend when it comes to editing written work.

If used properly, ChatGPT can make a paper shorter, rewrite some passages, check grammar, and improve or change the style of text. However, users will need to give the chatbot a detailed prompt on what they want it to do.

Very rarely, Wang says, the first prompt will result in users getting eerily good responses.