Saturday, July 27, 2024

ChatGPT on the Art of Writing

Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Educational Advancement

Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Educational Advancement
The school's creative method for uncovering Richard's plagiarism deserves recognition. By scrutinizing the edit history and noting the abrupt appearance of text segments, the teacher inferred that the content was likely copied. When asked for the source document from which Richard allegedly derived the text, he failed to produce it.

Richard, while drafting a news story on the basketball season for his journalism class, made use of the detailed game records shared by the coach through school-wide emails. He then utilized ChatGPT as a crucial skill, akin to the significance of PowerPoint in the 1990s. Richard believed that early proficiency in AI tools would greatly enhance his capabilities and future opportunities.

I found myself largely in agreement with Richard's perspectives on AI. In the educational sector, numerous educators have explored and adopted AI technology as a valuable classroom aid. Teachers have utilized ChatGPT to enhance curricula, create illustrative examples, and in some instances, even assist in grading. According to the impact Research/Walton Foundation survey, 88 percent of educators reported a positive impact from AI, underscoring its beneficial role in instruction. These findings align with Richard's views on the growing importance of AI.

Richard demonstrated a level of honesty and rationality often observed among high school students. Many have recognized the limitations of AI detection tools, leading them to question why they should forgo their personal time when AI can articulate their ideas more effectively. However, this realization also underscored the potential issues associated with the misuse of such technology.

Many argue that AI functions as a crutch, offering perfectly crafted sentences that obscure genuine work and hinder the learning process for young adults. Critics also question the technology's capacity to generate well-reasoned arguments, noting that text generators lack the critical thinking skills of humans. As journalist Radolfo Delgado observed, "[ChatGPT] lacked the touch of humanity that was inherently mine"(Forbes). This raises a troubling question: will the ability to write and convey emotions still hold value in the future, or will it become irrelevant? Such concerns evoke a wave of dystopian scenarios.

To satisfy my curiosity, I sought to understand the practical applications of ChatGPT. To make an informed judgment, I needed a deeper insight into its writing capabilities. Consequently, I dedicated my entire Thanksgiving break to drafting a paper that analyzed the impact of AI on work and compared it with a ChatGPT-generated essay on the same topic.

In summary, I corroborate Delgado's assertion that generative AIs produce subpar analytical writing. The resulting paper exhibits a robotic, formulaic style, excessive reliance on summaries, sparse references to studies or statistics, an overuse of subheadings that disrupt continuity, and frequent repetition of previously mentioned information.

Following my experiment with ChatGPT, I established a framework to evaluate when to utilize AI assistance for assignments. For tasks centered on content and factual information, ChatGPT proves invaluable in summarizing intricate events, concepts, or theories. It functions akin to a search engine but offers a more streamlined approach compared to Google, providing direct, concise answers rather than an overwhelming array of unsatisfactory results. This method of learning can significantly reduce the time spent searching for specific topics, such as the impact of the Cultural Revolution on Chinese feminist movements.

AI should be used sparingly for assignments that extend beyond basic summaries and explanations, particularly those requiring critical thinking and the establishment of connections. When tasked with generating nuanced responses to analytical prompts, ChatGPT often produces elaborate sentences failled with abstract concept and assertive tones. However, upon closer examiniation, these outputs frequently amount to little more than superficial statements. OpenAI has deliberately designed their chatbot to minimize personal opinions and avoid substantial arguments, which can render its use in such contexts inefficient and unproductive.

Educators should not discourage students form using ChatGPT, as there is a valuable role for such technologies in modern education. Banning AI in the learning environment would be akin to dismissing nuclear power due to its potential for destructive uses. In fact, labeling ChatGPT as off-limits could merely heighten students' curiosity, leading them to explore it independently without considering its ethical implications. Instead, educators should focus on teching students the appropriate and responsible use of AI tools.

I have gained substantial benefits from ChatGPT's intuitive interface and clear explanations, which dispel any notion that it is merely a gimmick fostering deterimental dependency. Reflecting on how educators once criticized grammar checkers like Grammarly, which are now seamlessly integrated into curriculums with free subscriptions offered to students, I am confident that ChatGPT has similar potential for effective integration.

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Wednesday, July 5, 2023

ChatGPT experiences a modest decline of approximately 10% in traffic as its initial novelty subsides


In June, global traffic experienced a decline of 9.7%, accompanied by a 5.7% decrease in unique visitors.

ChatGPT's growth no longer suggests a path towards becoming the most visited website worldwide. Put simply, the OpenAI tech demo site, which achieved remarkable cultural significance, does not pose a risk of surpassing Google in terms of web traffic.

As mentioned in our previous update, ChatGPT's remarkable surge in traffic growth has now reached a point of stabilization, with the current month recording the first decline.

Key Observations
  • Preliminary estimates indicate a decline of 9.7% in worldwide desktop and mobile web traffic to the ChatGPT website, chat.openai.com, from May to June. In the United States, the month-over-month decrease was recorded at 10.3%.
  • The worldwide unique visitor count for ChatGPT's website witnessed a decrease of 5.7%. Concurrently, there was an 8.5% decline in the average duration of time spent by visitors on the site.
  • ChatGPT maintains its position as a more popular destination for global visitors compared to bing.com, Microsoft's search engine, and Character.AI, the second most widely used independent AI chatbot site. Although Character.AI witnessed a 32% decrease in worldwide visits from the previous month, it is noteworthy that its current traffic levels reflect a substantial increase since June 2022, when the company, founded by ex-Google engineers, commenced its operations.
ChatGPT's Phenomenal Surge Levels Off

The robust growth trajectory of ChatGPT came to a halt in June, as the platform observed a discernible decline in both traffic and engagement.
While Chat GPT's worldwide growth garnered significant attention, it's important to note that its expansion within the US market was relatively moderate. However, in June, a decline in traffic within the country was evident.

ChatGPT and Character.AI

Character.AI, an AI chatbot site renowned for its imaginative approach of assigning chatbots the personas of celebrities, historical figures, and fictional entities, witnessed a swift rise in popularity in recent months, largely attributed to the heightened interest in AI chatbots following the widespread recognition of ChatGPT. However, the website experienced a decrease in traffic volume during the month of June.


Time Spent on the Decline

Measuring visitor engagement in terms of the average duration of minutes per visit, ChatGPT is observing a drop in user interaction. While the exact data for June is not yet accessible, the metric had already declined by 8.5% in May.


How does this impact OpenAI's future trajectory?

The sentiments of OpenAI's management regarding the decline in traffic are subject to debate. Originally introduced as a technology demonstration, the ChatGPT website predominantly functions as a loss leader, aimed at generating sales leads for OpenAI. The company offers its technology for integration into third-party applications.

At the same time, the CEO of OpenAI has acknowledged the considerable expenditure required to sustain the predominantly no-cost service, describing it as 'staggering.' External evaluations have approximated the daily cost to be in the vicinity of $700,000.

As a key supporter, Microsoft has integrated OpenAI's GPT-4 algorithm into the chat service provided through the Bing search engine. While Bing operates as a mass-market, ad-supported platform, OpenAI's primary focus is not oriented toward running a similar website. The principal revenue stream for ChatGPT stems from subscriptions sold to users desiring access to the cutting-edge version, such as GPT-4, whereas free users are restricted to an earlier edition. The long-term sustainability of this business model remains uncertain, given that individuals can access GPT-4 at no cost as part of the Bing experience.

Furthermore, OpenAI facilitates API integration, enabling technology companies and corporate enterprises to leverage more adaptable versions of its software. Notably, the developer's website, platform.openai.com, observed a 3.1% upturn in traffic between May and June.

Still, the decline in interest, not only for ChatGPT but also for a key competitor, signals the fading novelty surrounding AI chat. Moving forward, chatbots will need to substantiate their value rather than relying on inherent intrigue.

Important disclosure: The names, brands, trademarks, and registered trademarks mentioned here are the exclusive property of their respective owners.

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Saturday, July 1, 2023

OpenAI stole massive amounts of personal data to train ChatGPT?


  • Legal Action Unveiled: Lawsuit Accuses OpenAI of Unauthorized Acquisition of Personal Data from Millions of Americans for Training ChatGPT.
  • Legal Allegations Surface: Lawsuit Claims OpenAI Engaged in Web Crawling to Gather Vast Quantities of Data Without Consent.
  • Alarming Allegations: Lawsuit Accuses OpenAI of Collecting and Storing User Chat-Log Data, Even from Third-Party Platforms such as Snapchat and Spotify.
Explosive Lawsuit Claims OpenAI Acquired "Massive Amounts of Personal Data" Illegally for Training ChatGPT.

According to the proposed class-action suit, Sam Altman's company engaged in undisclosed data harvesting practices to train its large language models, allowing its chatbot to simulate human language.

The legal team stated in the 157-page lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, that the defendants deviated from established protocols for the acquisition and utilization of personal information by resorting to theft.

The lawsuit asserts that OpenAI conducted web crawling activities to accumulate extensive datasets, which encompassed substantial quantities of information sourced from social media platforms. According to the claims, OpenAI's proprietary AI corpus, known as WebText2, acquired significant data by scraping Reddit posts and the associated websites they referenced.

According to the lawsuit, the accessed data encompassed a wide range of sensitive information, including private conversations, medical data, details pertaining to children, and essentially every piece of data exchanged on the internet. The lawsuit alleges that this data was obtained without providing notice to the data owners or users, let alone obtaining their permission.

The lawsuit alleges that the actions described amount to the negligent and potentially illegal misappropriation of personal data belonging to millions of Americans who do not utilize AI tools.

OpenAI has yet to respond to Insider's request for comment, which was made outside of regular working hours.

The lawsuit alleges that in addition to scraping the "digital footprints" of the general public, OpenAI also retains and discloses users' personal information, including data provided during the creation of OpenAI accounts, chat logs, and social media information.

The lawsuit alleges that in addition to individuals who directly use ChatGPT, the data also includes information from users of various integrated applications such as Snapchat, Stripe, Spotify, Microsoft Teams, and Slack. As of now, the companies mentioned have not responded to Insider's request for comment.

The lawsuit requests a temporary injunction on the commercial access to and development of OpenAI's products until the implementation of enhanced regulations and safeguards. These measures include granting individuals the option to opt out of data collection and preventing OpenAI's products from exceeding human intelligence and causing harm. Additionally, the lawsuit seeks financial compensation for individuals whose data was used in training the chatbots.

In addition to OpenAI, the lawsuit includes Microsoft, a significant backer of the company, as a defendant.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit were intentionally identified by their initials, occupations, and state of residence, as their legal representatives stated that this approach aimed to protect them from intrusive scrutiny and potential backlash.

The popularity of generative AI, capable of producing text, audio, images, and videos, has surged following the release of OpenAI's ChatGPT in November. Individuals have been leveraging generative AI for personal, professional, and academic pursuits, although apprehensions exist regarding its data access.

In March, Italy implemented a temporary ban on accessing ChatGPT due to privacy concerns. The ban was enacted on the basis that there was no legal justification for the "mass collection and storage of personal data" used in training the algorithms powering ChatGPT. Several companies, such as Amazon and Microsoft, have instructed their employees to refrain from entering confidential information into the chatbot. Additionally, Samsung has imposed a ban on the use of generative AI tools by its staff.

According to the lawsuit filed on Wednesday, AI platforms, while acknowledged for their significant potential to bring about positive change, also pose a "potentially catastrophic risk to humanity.

In addition to concerns regarding its potential to significantly disrupt job markets, AI has been associated with the dissemination of false information and has been exploited for malicious purposes. The creators of OpenAI have expressed the belief that AI could surpass human proficiency in most domains within the next decade, while some critics express apprehension over the technology's existential risks.

The lawsuit contends that we are currently exposed to imminent and unwarranted risks that could undermine the very foundations of our society. These risks are attributed to profit-driven, multibillion-dollar corporations.

The lawsuit alleges that dominant corporations, possessing significant and concentrated technological capabilities, have pursued the rapid deployment of AI technology with little regard for the potentially devastating consequences to humanity. This pursuit is justified in the name of 'technological advancement.'

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