ChatGPT and The Rise of AI

On the 30th of November 2022, the AI software known as ‘ChatGPT’ was launched by OpenAI, quickly amassing over a million users in just 5 days and climbing to 100 million active users in the month of January alone.

Whilst the success of ChatGPT may seem sudden and unexpected, it is important to note that ChatGPT itself is not the first artificial intelligence platform of its kind, but is rather part of a larger trend in the development of AI technologies. For decades, researchers and developers have been working tirelessly to create more sophisticated and intelligent machines, with each new breakthrough building on the foundation laid by previous models such as the 1966 chatbot Eliza.

So, why has ChatGPT suddenly become such a viral sensation? Well, ChatGPT’s rapid rise to stardom boils down to two main factors – its unparalleled raw power and its unprecedented accessibility.

ChatGPT has an extraordinary aptitude to produce coherent and highly convincing responses that closely resemble human language to an extent we have never seen before. This proficiency has primarily been achieved through the model’s intricate neural network architecture that utilizes reinforcement learning, allowing it to learn from human feedback and continuously improve its responses. ChatGPT’s ability to harness extensive data sets and advanced computer training techniques makes it a powerful tool for generating highly desirable and contextually relevant responses based on its previous interactions with texts. This, combined with its impressive versatility in implementing its knowledge to a diverse range of applications - from drafting legal briefs, to writing school essays, and even programming in Python – has made ChatGPT stand out unlike any other AI.

Furthermore, ChatGPT’s worldwide accessibility has also contributed to its eye-catching ascension. Unlike any other AI program, ChatGPT is public to anyone through the OpenAI website. This means anyone, from researchers to students can use it. The program itself is also easy to use, only requiring users to type in their desired prompt and wait for the chatbot to reply with its answer. This has put arguably the most powerful AI yet in the hands of the masses like never seen before, leaving us with questions like “is this rise of AI good or bad for society?” as well as “what parts of society will be most affected?”

With ChatGPT being readily available and undoubtedly already being used by many students, one thing is for sure – AI will certainly have a profound impact on the education system as we know it today.

ChatGPT’s powerful abilities have already raised concerns and fears of cheating at school. In Australia, numerous states including Victoria have opted to ban the use of ChatGPT in public schools, blocking access from all state school servers and devices. Private schools too, like Trinity, have shifted away from ‘take-home’ tests and assignments, instead preferring to hold these assessments in person as a way to ‘authenticate’ pieces of work.

However, the seemingly inevitable and perpetual improvement of AI technologies like ChatGPT suggests that we must find a way to work with AI, rather than attempting to completely ban its use.

If ChatGPT can be used in an effective way to enhance learning, we could see a profound change in how the education sector works. Much like the recent shift away from rote learning to more application focused learning, it is highly likely that we could see something similar with the introduction of more proficient AI technologies. One thing AI has undoubtedly done, is shine a light on the time humans waste on useless tasks. Because of this, in order to enhance learning, ChatGPT could be used like the calculator – a tool that enables greater depth of learning. Just like the calculator saves time by performing basic arithmetic calculations and conversions, ChatGPT could be used for tasks like finding quotes and writing summaries – tedious and mundane tasks which take up a great number of human resources, for little yield.

Similarly, AI will also have many implications for the workforce – for better or for worse. With AI’s seemingly infinite upward projection towards perfect automation capability, there is a growing concern about the future and

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