DUBAI/RIYADH: Silicon Valley startup OpenAI caused a sensation when it released ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence powered chatbot tool capable of formulating detailed, human like answers on a seemingly limitless range of topics. In retrospect, that was just the start.
Google has since announced its own web tool, Bard, in an apparent bid to compete with the viral success of ChatGPT. Both tools are built on large language models, which are trained on vast troves of data in a way that they can generate impressive responses to user prompts.
Conversations with ChatGPT GPT stands for Generative Pre Trained Transformer show that the program is capable of explaining complex scientific concepts, writing plays and poetry, composing university dissertations, and even crafting functional lines of computer code.
Such programs can hold a conversation with any human user, no matter their IT experience or background, has written fake scientific reports convincing enough to fool scientists, and has even been used to write a children’s book.
Described by some experts as a “tipping point” in artificial intelligence technology, ChatGPT responds to “natural language questions on any topic and gives in depth answers that read as if they were written by a human,” according to the World Economic Forum.
Conversations with ChatGPT GPT stands for Generative Pre Trained Transformer show that the program is capable of explaining complex scientific concepts. (AFP)
However, the web tools of Microsoft backed OpenAI and Google have raised fears about their potential misuse to spread disinformation, orchestrate sophisticated deep fake scams, cheat in school exams, and even destroy writing jobs, rendering authors, journalists, and marketing professionals redundant.
How the technology is received, responds and is eventually regulated will be closely watched by several of the Arab Gulf states, many of which have launched their own national strategies for adopting and investing in AI.
Saudi Arabia launched its National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence in October 2020, aimed at making the Kingdom a global leader in the field as it seeks to attract $20 billion in foreign and local investments by 2030.
The Kingdom also aims to transform its workforce by training and developing a pool of 20,000 AI and data specialists.
The UAE has likewise made AI investment a top priority, becoming the first nation in the world to appoint a minister of state for artificial intelligence. Omar Sultan Al Olama took on the brief in October 2017 to spearhead the UAE’s expanding digital economy.
The Middle East is projected to accrue 2 percent of the total global benefits of AI by the end of the decade, equivalent to $320 billion, with AI expected to contribute more than $135.2 billion to the Saudi economy, according to PwC.
The Ameca humanoid robotgreets visitors at Dubai’s Museum of the Future. (AFP)
Founded in late 2015, OpenAI is led by Sam Altman, a 37 year old entrepreneur and former president of startup incubator Y Combinator. The firm is best known for its automated creation software GPT 3 for text generation and DALL E for image generation.
OpenAI has long counted on financial support from tech industry leaders, including LinkedIn co founder Reid Hoffman, investor Peter Thiel, and Tesla boss Elon Musk, who served on the start up’s board until 2018.
In January this year, multinational tech corporation Microsoft upped its initial 2019 investment in the firm worth $1 billion to $10 billion, meaning the company is now valued at roughly $29 billion.
Google’s core product online search is widely thought to be facing its most significant challenge since its launch in 1996. Reports claim the enormous attention being attracted by ChatGPT has spurred Google’s management to declare a “code red” situation for its search business.
ChatGPT is being used to obtain answers to questions many people would previously have searched for on Google’ flagship search tool. Last month, Microsoft announced that the next version of its Bing search engine would be powered by OpenAI. Also on the cards is a new version of the Edge web browser with OpenAI chat tech in a window to help users browse and understand web pages.
Unfortunately for Google, Bard had an embarrassing debut in early February when a video demo of the chatbot showed it giving the wrong answer to a question about the James Webb space telescope.
“ChatGPT is indeed very interesting,” Noaman Sayed, a Dubai based tech professional and co founder of the online shopping website DeenSquare, told Arab News.
“If you look into the past, every innovation and advancement has had discussions raised in relation to concern, whether it was planes, cars, mobiles, the internet, Google, YouTube, social media and more.
“Looking back, we can all say that these have eventually made not only our lives easier, they are also seen as the norm now. I’m very optimistic that with further development and time, ChatGPT will also make our lives easier and shall be the norm.”
Not everyone is as optimistic as Sayed, however. Given the rapid pace of technological change now underway, many workers are concerned their professional functions will soon be entirely replaced by machinery, in the same way earlier bouts of automation eliminated farming and manufacturing jobs.
Many industry experts argue such job losses will likely be offset by a rise in the number of new skilled roles in designing, building and maintaining AI products, necessitating a shift in the kind of education governments ought to provide to their future workforce.
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