On Thursday, March 16, Microsoft is planning to disclose extra of its grand scheme for implementing AI chatbot ChatGPT’s options into but extra features of our lives – particularly, how the tech agency has huge plans to “reinvent productiveness with AI”.
In addition to being totally meaningly company advertising and marketing jargon, this notion of ‘reinventing productiveness’ is regarding at greatest, particularly since we don’t know what it really entails but. Hypothesis is rife that Microsoft plans to combine ChatGPT into the Microsoft 365 (previously Workplace) software program suite, together with the Dynamics 365 suite for enterprise use.
This comes scorching on the heels of Microsoft shoving the chatbot into nearly every little thing it owns. Beginning out with the integration of ChatGPT into Bing and following quickly with AI-powered additions to Skype and the Home windows 11 taskbar, Microsoft has been going arduous in the case of AI in its software program.
We had already speculated in regards to the methods during which ChatGPT may transform Microsoft’s consumer software suite, so it’s not like it is a big shock. Nonetheless, I’m apprehensive about the entire prospect; Microsoft is dashing into its AI implementation plan, and it’s going to trigger extra issues than it solves.
The AI arms race
Microsoft’s obvious need to shoehorn AI options into but extra of its merchandise is probably going a response to competitor Salesforce’s personal strikes in partnering up with ChatGPT creator OpenAI to bring the chatbot to Slack (in addition to Snapchat introducing its own AI chatbot) This type of reactionary decisionmaking isn’t a sensible transfer, particularly when it includes AI.
ChatGPT has already confirmed itself to be, properly, problematic. Whether or not it’s getting used to commit cybercrime or create spurious photography competition entries, AI poses some very critical dangers. Many of those issues are attributable to human abuse of AI software program, however instruments like ChatGPT have their own failings too.
We’re witnessing a real-time arms race to cram AI tech into each side of our lives, and I wouldn’t trust Microsoft (or any big tech firm, like Google or Meta) to be the harbingers of this chatbot renaissance. Proper now, Microsoft is demonstrating an absence of warning in the case of ChatGPT and AI generally, particularly because it’s an area but to see critical regulation from main governments.
I’ll admit that AI coming to the 365 suite is definitely a a lot much less horrible concept than, say, letting ChatGPT make video content. The power to ask ChatGPT one thing easy like ‘add some animations to my PowerPoint presentation’ or ‘reformat this textual content doc as a letter’ is each helpful and comparatively non-threatening – although the potential for Microsoft Phrase to easily write content material for you is a bit regarding, particularly for the tutorial house.
I’m not saying that ChatGPT being added to those instruments goes to damage our lives, but it surely has points – and I’m positively not satisfied that Microsoft is taking all the fitting precautions right here. This can be a state of affairs the place warning will likely be rewarded; Google isn’t letting folks get up close and personal with its new AI just yet, and Microsoft themselves needed to restrict the Bing chatbots replies after a whole load of weirdness from the AI. Charging forward with extra AI instruments proper now? Not a great look.
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