OpenAI’s ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) has become one of the fastest-growing apps in internet history. Within just two months of its release in November 2022, the AI language model had reached 100 million monthly active users, with 5 million daily active users and 13 million new visitors.
Artificial Intelligence has never before generated such widespread interest. This surge in the debate has also raised concerns about the consequences of having a generative AI. ChatGPT is designed to understand and respond to user input in a human-like manner, and it is causing quite a stir for performing tasks that are typically done by humans.
In recent weeks, people have used ChatGPT to generate essays, articles, computer code, books, poems, cover letters, and legal documents. Some students have even used it to cheat their way to academic excellence. The bot’s responses have passed college exams and landed job interviews. Silicon Valley giants are being forced to step up their AI game because of ChatGPT’s popularity. This has caused many to reflect on the future of well-paid jobs that may not require dedicated human workers.
Programming
It’s surprising to know that ChatGPT has the potential to replace humans in one of the most in-demand jobs in the world. Coders, developers, and data scientists are an integral part of the digital world and perform many tedious programming tasks that ChatGPT can automate, such as writing scripts, debugging code, solving mathematical problems, and translating code to another computer language.
OpenAI reportedly hired hundreds of international contractors to train ChatGPT in software engineering and created data to train the AI in basic programming tasks. As a language model, it can only generate code snippets or provide information about different concepts, and a human would still need to verify, edit, and execute the generated code. This could potentially threaten some entry-level jobs in big companies. For example, a 10-person team could be reduced to 4 people plus ChatGPT.
Several tech companies, including OpenAI, are considering replacing software developers with ChatGPT. An internal test at Google showed that the AI was hired at the L3 level, which is Google’s entry-level grade for beginners. Workers at Amazon have already started using ChatGPT to help with coding, but the company has warned its employees not to share confidential information with the AI.
Experts believe that ChatGPT will enhance human jobs rather than replace them, Moreover, experienced full-stack developers will always be preferred over an AI, no matter how powerful it becomes. The ultimate threat to jobs will probably come from those who have perfected the use of AI.
Writing
Writing various types of content is not a problem for AI which generates computer code. A human might take hours to write a 1000-word blog post, which ChatGPT can produce within seconds. Perhaps a professional writer with an AI assistant can give fierce competition to the one that doesn’t. Similar AIs are already helping the media industry generate hundreds of online articles. However, editors must make numerous corrections before it can be published.
Not all work performed by experienced content writers, copywriters, ghostwriters, and journalists can be automated by AI. Most of its written content seems generic and lacks a “human” touch. Furthermore, ChatGPT has a significant flaw when it comes to generating high-level content. Although the overall text can be original, the technology has a serious issue with facts, as acknowledged by its makers on the official website. The lack of precision in answers raises questions about the usefulness of this AI, making it crucial to understand how to use it appropriately.
Here is a funny example of how ChatGPT can miss key details in context. Most of the time, it appears that the AI doesn’t know what it’s talking about, indicating a potential issue with the training data or the model not processing it correctly. Moreover, when it provides incorrect results, it continues to support them with fabricated facts.
In a much more serious environment, it can be a nightmare for publishers if they forget to fact-check the AI. Last month, a similar incident occurred with one of the leading tech news websites, CNET. It used an AI like ChatGPT to help publish more than 75 articles containing severe errors. The scandal invited intense backlash due to incorrect calculations, information, and advice. CNET was forced to apologize and correct the mistakes. On a positive note, the publication was able to post 12 articles in one day, as the company wanted to test if it could rely on AI and reduce some of its human staff. Although this may not be a viable strategy yet, ChatGPT can potentially replace humans in scenarios where creative writing and facts are not critical.
Customer Support
Humans have dominated every aspect of customer support for over 300 years, covering every channel, from door-to-door to transportation, telephone, and the internet. Every major tool since the industrial revolution has served humans who learned to use them. However, this has changed with the advent of AI. Customer support has largely shifted online, often with a chatbot on the other end.
AI has already replaced humans in this sector, and ChatGPT will likely continue this trend. Writing lengthy identical emails to satisfy customers all day can be a tedious task for a human. AI has made their lives much easier by taking on much of the burden. Now, human customer service officers are better suited for addressing critical customer issues that occur infrequently. Most of the time, ChatGPT appears to handle simple queries well.
Data Entry
The less creative the work, the more chance it has to be taken over by ChatGPT. Data entry is another task that AI-powered tools are already automating, reducing the need for manual data entry as AI can process large amounts of data quickly. This means that data entry clerks may soon face difficulties in the job market as companies look to cut long-term costs by using AI. Professionals who work with data search for patterns and convert them into reports that are easily understood by humans. This is one of many qualities of AI, so job displacement is indeed a concern.
However, currently, ChatGPT is not capable of actually typing the data into the system. The extent to which AI can replace human workers in data entry jobs depends on the specific tasks and requirements. For example, ChatGPT can answer questions about the data being entered, assist with creating documentation, formatting, validation, and checking for errors, and suggest resolutions. AI can automate almost all repetitive work, allowing employees to focus on high-value tasks.
Legal Work
ChatGPT has sparked debates about the necessity of lawyers and advocates in the future after barely passing law and business school exams earlier this year. Professors at the University of Minnesota tested ChatGPT in four different law courses and the bot earned an average grade of C+. Although this isn’t something to boast about, the machine still passed due to its solid knowledge of the law. The Minnesota team studying the learning model found that it was proficient in reviewing theory and addressing basic laws, but it failed to connect issues with relevant cases.
This is because human lawyers have the ability to understand their client’s needs and unique circumstances. Providing or receiving legal information is not the only aspect of the job; it also involves giving personalized advice, which requires human intuition, empathy, creativity, and intelligence. ChatGPT can be seen as an opportunity rather than a threat to law firms and lawyers.
The technology can assist with legal research by quickly providing information on various legal topics, regulations, and case studies. This can save time and effort for lawyers and law firms during the research process. They can use AI to generate contracts, freeing them from having to create them manually each time. ChatGPT can answer a wide range of questions and provide clarifications on complex legal concepts, speeding up the time it takes to build a case. It can also be used to store and retrieve information such as court decisions, making it easier for lawyers to access and complete work efficiently. In addition, the AI can interact with clients, answering questions and directing them to relevant resources, which can improve client satisfaction and help law firms manage their workload more efficiently.
Every profession that feels threatened by AI can use it to manage their workload and create new opportunities. The technology was created to assist humans in their jobs, not to replace them. Despite its intelligence, CHATGPT was created by humans, meaning it’s not perfect. So, they have nothing to fear at least until AI undergoes further advancements.
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