(WXYZ) — Have you heard of ChatGPT?
“I have actually,” said one viewer.
Some of us know about it and many of us admittedly, do not.
“No, we haven’t,” said one mom we asked.
“I have not heard of ChatGPT," said her teen daughter.
Let’s take a step into the future by first taking a step into Professor Paula Lauren’s office.
WXYZ’s Ameera David asked, “So, ChatGPT, what is it?”
“ChatGPT is a generative AI assistant,” said Paula Lauren. “Referred to as a chatbot, it’s a computer program that allows you to interact with it like you’re interacting with a person.”
Chatbots are not a new technology, but the capabilities of this one are unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.
“You’ve been playing around with this application, what surprises you most?” asked David.
“Well, the conversational ability,” said Lauren.
When the application was released late last year, the professor of computer science got to work putting it to the test.
“I asked ChatGPT to write me a cake recipe,” said David.
Using blue velvet cake as an example, she asked it to replace the blue food coloring with a blue natural alternative. Give ideas on where to buy that ingredient. And even recommend the best-tasting icings to complement the modified recipe.
“And immediately within seconds, oh yeah, this was seconds,” said David.
Today, users are tapping into the application to create recipes & diet plans. I had put together a meal plan for a kid trying to put on some weight, help prepare for job interviews, and with language translation.
“How close are we to a point in which computers have achieved the same intelligence as humans,” asked David.
“Nowhere, not at all, even with this, this is impressive,” said Lauren.
“Impressive enough to get professionals across industries talking,” said Lauren.
“I think this unbelievably disruptive technology,” said Dr. Todd Morgan a Urological/Oncologist at University of Michigan.
“How can this help you?” asked David.
“For me as a surgeon, I love taking care of patients in the operating room, nobody loves medical documentation,” said Morgan.
Dr. Todd Morgan says this could be used to help get patient info into medical charts, help write letters to insurers, and act as a tool of communication.
“Certain, frequent patient questions could actually be answered by ChatGPT,” said Morgan.
“Is it accurate enough to give medical advice?” asked David.
“Well of course not, but it could be,” said Morgan.
A number of companies are already looking to implement the technology but in the area of education? A gray line. New York City becoming the first to ban
“Are you concerned about plagiarism?” asked David.
“Yes, plagiarism is of concern,“ said Lauren. “But it can also be used as a kind of digital tutor.”
Lauren and Morgan don’t believe prohibiting student use is the solution.
By them preventing students from accessing it at school, then those students able to access at home will be able to and will create inequities for kids who can’t access it.
