It's even worse than it appears..
Thursday September 14, 2023; 9:08 AM EDT
ChatGPT is the best thing ever#
  • Thesis: ChatGPT is to AI tools as Napster was to streaming audio. The people get better tools to do their own programming. And it's neither good nor bad, but it is inevitable. #
  • As you might imagine the subject of What To Do About AI was much-discussed at the Berkman reunion last week. Lots of hand-wringing. I was the only person who said that AI is wonderful, I can't wait to see what it can do next. When I started to give this schpiel, I was rushed along and made to stop I guess before their brains exploded? Really I wasn't allowed to finish the thought. This always happens when I go to Future of News conferences. I always ask the question, maybe you should embrace bloggers instead of fearing us. Maybe we can help? I almost started a session entitled "ChatGPT is the best thing ever." That would have been fun. But I was at dinner when the sessions were reserved, so that didn't happen. #
  • We never understand new tech in the first few years it's out. Personal computers, in the late 70s were thought to be Home Computers. The ads had pictures of computers in the kitchen, storing recipes and shopping lists. Helping kids with homework or parents with the family budget. It wasn't until VisiCalc that all the heads turned 180 degrees and realized oh shit, this is what we feared most (the old fear thing again) -- what happens when anyone in an organization can have a computer on their desk, unregulated by the IT people? #
  • And then the old question "Can Humans Survive AI?" comes up which I would answer -- I have no freaking idea -- but we're not surviving without it, so why not give it a try? And to people who say the scifi authors were right, without even trying ChatGPT I say -- no they weren't right. So far, imho, AI is the best thing ever. Why not focus on the long-term unsolvable problems which now might have solutions with the new tech? And try to learn from our mistakes in previous generations of tech, not to try to stop the march of tech, but to find things it can do that we like or even love? #
  • PS: I asked ChatGPT for 250 words about early home computers and what happened when VisiCalc was introduced?#
  • PPS: I think ChatGPT would be great at Jeopardy.#

© copyright 1994-2023 Dave Winer.

Last update: Thursday September 14, 2023; 4:55 PM EDT.

You know those obnoxious sites that pop up dialogs when they think you're about to leave, asking you to subscribe to their email newsletter? Well that won't do for Scripting News readers who are a discerning lot, very loyal, but that wouldn't last long if I did rude stuff like that. So here I am at the bottom of the page quietly encouraging you to sign up for the nightly email. It's got everything from the previous day on Scripting, plus the contents of the linkblog and who knows what else we'll get in there. People really love it. I wish I had done it sooner. And every email has an unsub link so if you want to get out, you can, easily -- no questions asked, and no follow-ups. Go ahead and do it, you won't be sorry! :-)