The Potential of ChatGPT

ChatGPT is the cumulative result of decades of computational advancements leading towards its self-learning AI model. The main reason why ChatGPT is so groundbreaking is its language recognition, which analyzes the users speech patterns and grammar trends to be able to understand almost any form of speech. It’s also the first mainstream AI learning software, which has catapulted many conversations into the public eye. One of the more interesting conversations it has sparked is the blurring line between sentience and artificiality. 

These language models are not sentient, but with the exponential increase of these technologies, there won’t be many ways to differentiate between us and them. Another way that computers are rapidly increasing in their capability is quantum computing. They were proposed in the early 1980s, but the first wasn’t created until 1998, which was not a practically usable computer, but it displayed the principles that enabled the creation of quantum computers in the modern age. The aspect that makes quantum computing so much more powerful than a normal computer is its ability for multiple bits. A typical computer's bits consist of two numbers, zero0 and one1. Quantum computing differs because of the integration of up to fifteen15 bits for calculation, allowing for simultaneous computation and stronger solving of complex problems and processing.

That is just a tangent from the series of philosophical and technological doors that AI learning has begun to open. One more grounded and relevant effect of ChatGPT is its impact on the classroom. Early on in its publication, it was used by students for all forms of writing and problem solving. This created a haven for the slacker, but it was short-lived as ChatGPT detectors were soon widespread among teachers. However, students discovered paraphrase websites, and began to edit the writing to prevent detection. The AI detectors have become stronger, but currently there is still a large cat-and-mouse chase between administrations and students desperate to do less work.

However, according to MIT Technology Review, many teachers believe that ChatGPT can be used in classrooms as a class aid, providing a more personalized learning environment for each student's pacing and needs. Duolingo and Quizlet, two of the most popular academic apps, have already integrated ChatGPT’s AI learning into their programming, which should open new doors for personalized online studying. Teachers describe the overall reaction to the chatbot as a panic, suggesting that it be used for classroom instruction instead of attempting to deny and prevent its prominence.

Teachers can use ChatGPT, but they have no fear of it replacing them, as the kids' connection to authority figures and their peers is an integral part of human development, but other jobs aren’t nearly as safe. With the increasing number of computers coming closer to passing the famed turing test, which is becoming textually indistinguishable from a human, replacement is becoming an inevitability for many industries. According to a Cornell University study, It’s estimated that nearly 19% of US jobs are at risk of being damaged by the integration of open AI. Jobs like programmers, market analysts, accountants, graphic designers, and customer service agents are all at risk of a major hit to their job markets. There’s no clear view of the full effects of it on the job market, as the sample size is too small, but it could potentially have major issues in the coming years for employment and economic stability.

By Elijah Roth