It just feels too good to be true.

I’m currently using it for formatting technical texts and it’s amazing. It doesn’t generate them properly. But if I give it the bulk of the info it makes it pretty af.

Also just talking and asking for advice in the most random kinds of issues. It gives seriously good advice. But it makes me worry about whether I’m volunteering my personal problems and innermost thoughts to a company that will misuse that.

Are these concerns valid?

  • Overzeetop@beehaw.org
    29·
    11 months ago

    These types of uses make ChatGPT for the non-write the same as a calculator for the non-mathematician. Lots of people are shit at arithmetic, but need to use mathematics in their every day life. Rather than spend hours with a scratch pad and carrying the 1, they drop the numbers into calculator or spreadsheet and get answers.

    A good portion of my life is spent writing (and re-writing) technical documents aimed at non-technical people. I like to think I’m pretty good at it. I’ve also seen some people who are very good, technically, but can’t write in a cohesive, succinct fashion. Using ChatGPT to overcome some of those hurdles, as long as you are the person doing final compilation and organization to ensure that the output is correct and accurate, is just the next step in spelling, usage, and grammar tools. And, just as people learning arithmetic shouldn’t be using calculators until they understand how its done, students should still learn to create writing without the assistance of ML/AI. The goal is to maximize your human productivity by reducing tasks on which you spend time for little added value.

    Will the ML company misuse your inputs? Probably. Will they also use them to make your job easier or more streamlined? Probably. Are you contributing to the downfall of humanity? Sure, in some very small way. If you stop, will you prevent the misuse of ML/AI and substantially retard the growth of the industry? Not even a little bit.