By Ifeoluwa Alonge
CHAT GPT AND STUDENT USAGE
It’s been a little under a year since Chat GPT was released, yet it has made a huge impact on the whole world. Our entire education system has been shaken by this new advancement in technology.
Chat GPT is an Artificial Intelligence Chatbot that was developed by Open AI. It enables users to refine and steer a conversation towards a desired length, format, style, level of detail, and language. Successive prompts and replies are considered at each stage of the conversation as context. While its content spans various domains of knowledge, Chat GPT has been shown to give inaccurate information. For example, when using the platform, I researched my high school, a co-ed institution. I am a boy (from cradle to grave), yet Chat GPT lists among my school’s alumni Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, who most assuredly attended Wolmer’s Girls High!
Many students have used Chat GPT to write essays and homework assignments, to varying degrees of success. Simply type in a prompt on the Chat GPT platform, and almost instantly, you will have a result. For example, a student who is lazy may enter the following prompt: “Type a 1000-word essay describing in detail the pros and cons of social media usage.” The application, which uses AI to provide results, will then fulfil the request.
REGULATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
As Artificial Intelligence becomes more advanced, more and more academics and industry players have been calling for it to be regulated. In 2017, Elon Musk called for AI to be regulated. This was long before the rise of Chat GPT. What is so fascinating is that in just the six years since 2017, AI has advanced so much. In June 2023, the European Parliament approved the bloc’s landmark rules for artificial intelligence, known as the EU AI Act, clearing a major hurdle for the first formal regulation of AI in the West to become law.
“ROMANTIC AI”
Another interesting development in this field has been the rise of “Romantic Chatbots.” Romantic AI chatbots leverage artificial intelligence to create romantic experiences. These chatbots are programmed to understand how to respond to user input in a manner that mimics human interaction. Sites like Anima and Romantic AI provide “romantic chatbot services.” Increasingly, many lonely people are turning to romantic AI chatbots to fill their feelings of emptiness.
Romantic AI enables users to create “the perfect” boyfriend or girlfriend. Everything from personality to flirtatiousness can be controlled using the platform.
Caryn Marjorie: Artificially Cloned
Caryn Marjorie, a Snapchat influencer, has cloned herself using Artificial Intelligence. Many of her fans, who are young men, are being charged 1 dollar per minute to “chat with her.” The digital version of herself known as Caryn AI could earn her up to 5 million USD per month. As of May 10, 2023, her platform already had 1,000 subscribers, all eager to have a “conversation with her.” According to her team, thousands of hours were used to replicate her voice, personality, image, and behaviours. She not only cloned herself but also her entire personality when designing her platform. “Caryn AI will never replace me,” she said. “Caryn AI is simply just an extension of me, an extension of my consciousness,” the influencer said. She also said that no matter what you are going through in life, Caryn AI “will always be there for you.”
LONELINESS AND SUICIDE
It is estimated that a third of the entire global population is suffering from loneliness. If people had a digital friend to talk to, it could ease their burdens. A study from Duke, Auckland, and Cornell universities revealed that AI chatbots for loneliness could help ease this global problem. Why are we not encouraging people to interact with real people?
On a sadder note, a Belgian man committed suicide after an AI chatbot known as Eliza encouraged him to end his life. The man’s wife said that he would still be here if it were not for the AI chatbot. He left behind two children after taking his life.
While AI has its good side, there is nothing artificial about its danger. Not only can children be negatively impacted by it, as is currently the case with school work, but across a wide range of scenarios, we see its potential to wipe out lives, as in the instance of this Belgian man, a husband and father, who developed a strong emotional attachment to his virtual ‘friend’ Eliza.
Countless numbers of persons are searching for meaning. What is this void that we’re constantly trying to fill though? What are we looking for? I put it to you that we are searching for our image Creator…God. When we find Him, we will also discover real intelligence.
Ifeoluwa Alonge is 14 years old and has been writing for FC Rain since he was age 11.