Is the future here already?
There has been a lot of commentary and speculation about artificial intelligence's (AI) ability to shape the future since the public launch of ChatGPT from OpenAI. ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that you can converse with and that will respond eerily well to just about any request. Since its launch it has set the record for the fastest growing user base, reaching 100 million users in just 2 months (for comparison it took TikTok nine months), with people using it for everything from writing poems about not double dipping to suggesting how and writing text messages for dumping your boyfriend, through to high school students asking ChatGPT to write their history essays and us writing this blog post.
But, as human-like and amazing as it is, is ChatGPT just another techno fad that will follow the same fate as the likes of Google Wave or Clubhouse? Or is it the beginning of a completely new paradigm in everyday life – a disruption akin to the launch of the iPhone?
The future is always hard to predict, but when it comes to generative AI systems like ChatGPT, we think there's certainly a case for feeling bullish. We see a number of areas where they have the potential to create systemic impacts. Three of those are: consumer engagement, how we work, and the delivery of education.
How these areas will evolve, specifically, only time will tell. But it's important not to forget that the true impact of any new technology is only realised following extended experimentation and people using it in all different ways. And that is where the opportunity is for all of us.
Now is not the time to avoid ChatGPT simply because it's new or because you read an article that criticises it. Now is the time to play and experiment. To understand its potential, and its limits. A new future may be here sooner than you think.
If you’re completely new to ChatGPT we’ve prepared a short explainer video to help unpack it and where it fits within the broader AI landscape. Feel free to share it with your colleagues and your network.