Folks have a fascination for and a fear of machines that have a persona of cognitive ability. The 1968 science fiction classic, 2001: A Space Odyssey, comes to mind which features the HAL 9000 (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer), which controls the operations of the spaceship Discovery One. Another is the book Origin, by Dan Brown, where one of the characters is Winston, an advanced digital assistant. Spoiler alert, HAL and Winston share some common characteristics.
When OpenAI made ChatGPT available as a public beta it raised more than a few eyebrows. The powerful chatbot takes your question and answers with very conversational replies.
For example, I asked ChatGPT the question “how do you make chocolate cookies?”
The response is as follows.
To make chocolate cookies, you will need the following ingredients:
Here's how to make the cookies:
Enjoy your chocolate cookies!
As impressive as the above demonstration is, this technology is well established and has been around for a while. Some may remember Google I/O 2018 when Sundar Pichai introduced Duplex for the Web.
People were both impressed and afraid of its ability. As a result, Duplex for the Web was deprecated this month and will no longer be supported.
Google also has LaMDA. LaMDA, like Duplex for the Web, focuses on conversation. During its training, it picked up on several nuances that distinguish open-ended conversation from other forms of language. One of those nuances is sensibleness. Does the response to a given conversational context make sense?
Ok, that is very interesting.
The reincarnation of Duplex might be a product in production titled Dialogflow. The use cases for this product include reservation systems, help desk, and parcel tracking.
And then there’s DeepMind, whose goal is to use AI for fast paced innovation. The interesting thing about DeepMind is they use games to learn how to train their systems. Training as it relates to AI is the process of testing the decisions which are programmed into the software to determine if the outcome is correct. In 2015, they released AlphaGo, which the company claims is “the first computer program to defeat a professional human Go player, the first to defeat a Go world champion, and is arguably the best Go player in history.”
Competing against Google is OpenAI. OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company. Their mission is to ensure artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. When most folks think of the company they often think of Elon Musk, but the real muscle comes from Microsoft. The OpenAI–Microsoft partnership began in 2019 when Microsoft announced it would invest $1 billion into OpenAI’s project of building Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) that had wide economic benefits. OpenAI said the partnership aims to develop a hardware and software platform within Azure. The deal also meant that Microsoft would become OpenAI’s exclusive cloud provider. In addition to ChatGPT, OpenAI has another product titled DALL-E which creates images from text. Competing with DALL-E are other products which offer amazing results from companies like MidJourney.
The following are the questions I asked OpenAI’s ChatGPT and its response.
Hello my name is John and I would like to know the best way to introduce myself to a stranger.
Hi John, nice to meet you! Introducing yourself to a stranger can be a bit nerve-wracking, but there are a few simple things you can do to make the process a bit easier. Here are a few tips:
First, make sure to smile and make eye contact with the person you're introducing yourself to. This will help put them at ease and show that you're friendly and approachable.
Next, offer a firm handshake. This is a common social custom that helps to establish a connection between two people.
Then, state your name and perhaps a bit about yourself, such as your occupation or where you're from. For example, you could say something like "Hi, I'm John. I'm a software engineer from San Francisco."
Finally, ask the person you're introducing yourself to a question or make a comment to start a conversation. This could be something as simple as asking how their day is going, or commenting on something interesting you noticed about them.
Overall, the key is to be confident and friendly, and to make an effort to connect with the other person. With a little practice, introducing yourself to strangers can become a natural part of your social interactions.
Thank you, do you have a name or title?
I am Assistant, a large language model trained by OpenAI. I do not have a physical form or a personal name, as I am a computer-based program designed to assist with a wide range of tasks, such as answering questions and providing information. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm here to help!
Ok Assistant, what is the best way to deflect criticism?
There are a few different ways to deflect criticism, depending on the situation and the person who is criticizing you. Here are a few possible strategies:
One way to deflect criticism is to reframe the situation and focus on the positive aspects of what was said. For example, if someone says "Your presentation was disorganized," you could respond by saying "I'm glad you noticed that I had a lot of information to cover. I'll make sure to be more organized in the future." This allows you to acknowledge the criticism without getting defensive or upset.
Another approach is to simply agree with the criticism and offer to make improvements. For example, if someone says "You're not very good at managing your time," you could respond by saying "You're right, I struggle with time management. I'm going to work on improving that." This can help to diffuse the situation and show that you're willing to take constructive feedback.
A third option is to deflect the criticism by asking for more information or clarification. For example, if someone says "Your report was full of errors," you could respond by saying "Can you give me some specific examples of the errors you noticed? I want to make sure I understand what went wrong so I can fix it." This can help to shift the focus away from the criticism and onto finding a solution.
Overall, the key is to remain calm and composed when dealing with criticism. By taking a thoughtful and measured approach, you can deflect criticism in a way that helps to resolve the situation and improve your performance.
Are you familiar with the book titled Origin by Dan Brown? If so, reflect on the character Winston?
I am sorry, but I am not familiar with the book Origin by Dan Brown. As a large language model trained by OpenAI, my knowledge is based on the text that I have been trained on, but I do not have the ability to browse the internet or access additional information. If you have any other questions, I would be happy to try and help based on my existing knowledge.
How would I ask for the bill in spanish?
To ask for the bill in Spanish, you can say "¿Puedo tener la cuenta, por favor?" which translates to "Can I have the bill, please?" In Spanish, the bill is commonly referred to as the "cuenta" or the "factura," and asking for it is a common social custom at restaurants and other establishments. Keep in mind that in some cases, the waiter or server may simply bring the bill to your table without you having to ask for it. However, if you want to be sure to receive the bill, it is always a good idea to ask politely.
What is the state of AI development?
The field of artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly evolving, and there have been significant advancements in recent years. AI technologies are being used in a wide range of applications, from autonomous vehicles and personal assistants to medical diagnosis and financial trading. However, AI is still in the early stages of development, and there is much work to be done before we can achieve truly intelligent machines. As with any technology, there are also ethical and societal concerns that need to be considered as AI continues to develop.
Thank you.
You're welcome, John! I'm glad I could help. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm here to assist with a wide range of topics and I'm always happy to help.