In the tech world there’s nothing hotter than ChatGPT. This artificial intelligence application is used by people, businesses and organizations globally. I was curious how it might be applied locally.
To get some answers, I spoke with Olin Kealoha Lagon, whom I’ve known for many years. Olin has a perspective on how technology affects society — particularly in Hawaii. A software engineer who has authored AI patents, he’s a serial entrepreneur and recently presented a Microsoft keynote speech in Canada on applied AI. Recently, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office created a video (808ne.ws/olinlagon) of his life story as a U.S. innovator and Native Hawaiian.
Question: ChatGPT seems to be in the news everywhere. What exactly is it?
Answer: ChatGPT is a type of artificial intelligence called a large language model. Think of the auto-complete feature of your phone’s text messaging software. As you type, your phone suggests completions based on learning from your prior messages. With GPT, you ask it a question, and it will craft a response based on it being trained on the entirety of the internet. GPT is getting about 10 times better annually, a pace nearly unmatched in history.
Q: Can you offer an example of applying ChatGPT?
A: I read about a distraught mom who turned to GPT. Her son had seen 17 doctors over three years yet still suffered from horrible symptoms. She fed what she knew into GPT, and it suggested a diagnosis of tethered cord syndrome. It was right and her son got treated. GPT was not trained to diagnose conditions, but just generate plausible responses based on understanding the contents of the internet.
Q: Any suggested uses for the average person or a small-business owner?
A: GPT can be your 24/7 personal assistant that reads the entirety of the internet. Converse with it to do things like brainstorm ideas. “Let’s design some fun activities we can do over Zoom.” Ask it to generate any type of content. “Read this PDF and help me draft a response that includes strategies to mitigate risk.”
Think of GPT as Siri with a million more skills. If you are taking a dozen medications, plug each one in and ask if there are some concerns about that combination of drugs that should be discussed with your doctor. Interviewing job candidates? Plug in their resumes and ask to organize a series of questions for each candidate given the target skills needed. Got just a few ingredients in your fridge and cupboard? Plug them in and ask for recipe suggestions. I use it is to help me learn Hawaiian. GPT can easily handle all these examples and many more.
Q: You mentioned in a Facebook post that ChatGPT has a potential dark side. Care to comment?
A: The big picture is that underpinning all of society is shared trust. AI can completely obliterate this trust.
Bad actors could use tools such as ChatGPT to create an avalanche of misinformation. AI could be used to create a campaign consisting of journal articles, YouTube videos, social media posts, infographics and stories with false narratives. For example, you could purport that a specific Hawaii bank is about to fail, complete with details indistinguishable from fact. Forcing a bank run is a manini (small) example of the destructive potential of AI.
Sadly, we may never have a major election where the results are universally accepted.
Q: AI clearly affects all of us. Do we have a role as citizen watchdogs?
A: If you spend a day scrolling through Facebook, you’ll see how quickly misinformation spreads. We get so much joy from sharing things that prop up our worldview, facts be damned. We need to take kuleana to break the viral chains of misinformation by fact-checking more before we share things. AI is our “right now” problem, not something only our keiki need to worry about.
Q: Can you suggest a curriculum for students interested in AI?
A: I encourage more data science literacy. This includes programming, especially applications with algorithms. I also suggest learning as much math as possible, including statistics. I suspect we are not giving our students nearly enough AI-relevant courses to help them thrive in a world where AI impacts so much of life.
Q: How do I try ChatGPT?
A: Find it on openai.com. It’s free of charge.
Rob Kay, a Honolulu-based writer, covers technology and sustainability for Tech View and is the creator of fijiguide.com. He can be reached at Robertfredkay@gmail.com.
