ChatGPT continues to be a society-stirrer, as reports trickle in of jobs lost and new applications tried.
The Federal Trade Commission has opened an expansive investigation into OpenAI, probing whether the maker of the popular ChatGPT bot has run afoul of consumer protection laws by putting personal reputations and data at risk. [WaPo]
This continues to concern me, though:
The agency’s focus on such fabrications comes after numerous high-profile reports of the chatbot producing incorrect information that could damage people’s reputations. Mark Walters, a radio talk show host in Georgia, sued OpenAI for defamation, alleging the chatbot made up legal claims against him. The lawsuit alleges that ChatGPT falsely claimed that Walters, the host of “Armed American Radio,” was accused of defrauding and embezzling funds from the Second Amendment Foundation. The response was provided in response to a question about a lawsuit about the foundation that Walters is not a party to, according to the complaint.
Really, it’s fabrications, full stop. From how I understand this works, this is not AI in the true sense, but only the marketing sense. There’s no self-agency or self-awareness; true, false, and questionable facts have equal value unless programmers sit down and do something about it.
Maybe that leaf represents all that’s good about ChatGPT.
Here’s how I see this all playing out. Companies continue to use services like these despite the lack of accuracy, because it saves money. They’ll push it and keep pushing it, rationalizing the losses as part of their drive to make money.
Note how providing excellent service falls into a secondary or even tertiary position.
Then one day, it all comes crashing down. Literally. A building collapses, or something similar, people die or are badly hurt. The problem?
Actions taken on false information derived from ChatGPT and/or its competitors.
Then we indulge in a societal debate over using ChatGPT, getting those hormone rushes from Doing the Right Thing, Finally, and never realizing that the first point should be the prioritization of profits over excellence, and over truth, is flat-out wrong. Businessmen will yammer, ButButBut money!
And after that? Maybe ChatGPT will become part of the Dark Web. We shall see, I think. But not think much about it until something smears faeces in our faces.
