Analyse every answer

When receiving an answer from a chatbot, why it is important to apply the same common sense you would to information from unverified sources.

Recently, at a work meeting, someone introduced me as the official ChatGPT of the organisation I work for. ‘’She’s the one who writes for us.” Of course, my colleagues meant this as a compliment. But, as I told them, I’m not a great fan of ChatGPT — the great invention everybody’s raving about these days — and here’s why.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to be a wet blanket when it comes to progress or advances in technology. That too, progress that has considerably benefited humanity. As a beneficiary and consumer of this technology in the age of thinking machines, I admire the extent to which Artificial Intelligence has developed. Now we have a chatbot equipped with intelligence almost comparable to our own. But that’s the thing. The word is ‘almost.’

While it’s admirable to see such advances in our lifetime, I cannot but wonder what happens to our own intelligence when most of the thinking is done for us by another intelligence. What happens to our faculties if we rely unquestionably on machine intelligence?

It’s great to get all the answers to the questions we ask when we interact with this new wonder child of AI. But I think it’s more important to ask the right questions, now more than ever. The idea is not to confound or confuse the algorithm. But to challenge our own ability to think. Now is the time to hold on to, nurture and nourish our intellect; to stimulate what sets us apart from the machines. ChatGPT may be able to write poetry or even claim to know how your relationships are doing but it cannot take away our ability to analyse and question its answers.

While it’s quite all right to engage in a conversation or a ChatGPT session in order to understand how it works — it is, no doubt, fascinating — it is important to not be overwhelmed by the wonder of it all. We must maintain caution at all times and analyse the information that’s being thrown our way. Developing and maintaining a spirit of inquiry becomes essential and that will help us in our careers as well.

Say, you are curious about this phenomenon and want to experience how superior AI can be, and decide to engage in a chat. The important thing to remember is to analyse every answer that the chat GPT throws your way. The rule of 4 Ws and 1 H is the simplest but the best solution. Remember at all times that you’re not talking to another human on the side of the screen, but a machine intelligence, no matter how sophisticated it may seem. So, it becomes non-negotiable to apply common sense and filters before being satisfied with those answers.

When we receive an answer to a question we ask the chatbot, let’s analyse and verify it before taking it as it is. It’s the same common sense we would apply when we receive information from unverified sources.