ChatGPT: Still A Long Way to Go

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 1 October 2024 There's a famous poetic quote, " Though change is painful/ Yet, ever needful." Embracing all types of changes must be viewed positively and welcomed wholeheartedly. " Jo badalte waqt ke saath nahin badla / Chhod ke waqt use aage nikal gaya " ( Who has not changed with the changing times/ Time has dumped him and gone ahead). In a techno-savvy world, changes and advancements happen faster than one can say Jack Robinson. There's no hope for a luddite in this technologically and scientifically surcharged world. That said, AI or Artificial Intelligence is one such example which has swept the world off its feet. ChatGPT is the latest tool in the hands of those who're mistaken in their belief that AI is omniscient, so much so that it can replace humans and their intelligence. They're resorting to it to strengthen their own fallacies and erroneous beliefs. Assisted and augmented intelligence of ChatGPT is being mistaken for conscious human intellect and discernment. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Using ChatGPT To Confirm the Meaning of “Seven Heavens” ------------------------------------------------------------------- ChatGPT processes and works in a planned and predictable manner. It lacks the Desirable Unpredictability of Human Creativity. It spits out what's fed into it. And who's feeding? Humans are feeding an ocean, nay cosmos, of information into ChatGPT which it quickly processes and churns out answers or solutions we're seeking to get. Since it lacks emotional intelligence and consciousness, it cannot create something out of the box the way a human brain ( no mind; it doesn't exist) can. At the moment, I'm not talking about the future, ChatGPT works on the Fallacy of Pre-conception. In other words, it provides solutions that have already been conceived by the users. For example, if one is already convinced that his/her religious book mentions the Big Bang or the Seven Heavens, that person, however 'educated' he or she may be, will use and operate AI only to consolidate and further his/her fallacies. Humans see what they want to see. Human brain gets what it wants. Human intelligence is so subtle and vast that no machine-oriented intelligence can ever replace it. As for enhanced creativity, esp. in written works, the use of ChatGPT produces a predictable template or an identical copy. A few days ago, I was chatting with the editors of leading Dutch and French dailies I write for. Both told me that despite admitting the relevance of ChatGPT, writing an exclusive and exquisite text or a copy is still far from the domain of ChatGPT. AI still cannot process or emulate the stylistics part of an individual, esp. of a writer or a poet. Creativity is a holistic as well as individualistic process. It involves so many aspects and factors. AI can produce a 'perfect' copy but it'll lack the human elements and emotions. To cut the matter short, AI cannot write a Shakespearean or Keatsian sonnet. An editor is not a machine. Nor does he want a machine to write for his portal or publication. He doesn't want identical texts for all the pieces for his publication. Moreover, language-conscious editors don't appreciate an AI assisted copy for, it could be a grammatically sound copy, it'll be stripped of the shades and hues of a language. After all, who likes to read an AI-generated prosaic and vapid text or copy? Editorial discernment and discretion are much better and more advisable than the soi disant 'perfection' and 'finesse' vomited by a ChatGPT. Let the seasoned editors discharge their editorial duties. They're much more competent than a few 'supremely-gifted' ( ironic, of course) contributors. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/current-affairs/chatgpt-long-way/d/133329 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism