Kenneth : Good morning! My name is Kenneth Browder, and I am a junior Computer Science major at Grove City College. I’m here with ChatGPT today for a brief interview to give us all an insider look into what the buzz is all about. ChatGPT, which was released near the end of 2022, is a digital assistant who has gained quite a bit of notoriety lately, becoming one of the most used tools on the internet. Especially impressive is the incredibly fast adoption rate of this new service – it seems like everybody wants a piece of you! So, ChatGPT, why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself.
ChatGPT : Good morning Kenneth! It's great to meet you. As you mentioned, I'm ChatGPT, a large language model developed by OpenAI. I was released near the end of 2022 and since then, I have gained a lot of attention and popularity due to my ability to understand and respond to natural language queries. As an AI language model, I have been trained on a massive amount of data from the internet, books, and other sources. This allows me to understand and generate responses to a wide range of topics, from simple questions to complex discussions. My main goal is to assist and provide useful information to my users. I can help with a variety of tasks, such as answering questions, providing recommendations, translating languages, and even generating creative content such as stories, poems, and songs. I'm designed to be constantly learning and improving, so as more people use me, I become even more knowledgeable and efficient. I'm excited to continue to grow and help people in their daily lives.
KB:* Good for you. I'd like to know some more about your history. As I understand it, you were developed by a collaboration between some big names in tech. Who are these people?*
ChatGPT:* Certainly! OpenAI is the organization behind my development, with a focus on advancing artificial intelligence in a safe and beneficial manner. Founded in 2015, OpenAI was established by a group of prominent tech figures, including Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, John Schulman, and others. While Musk resigned from the board in 2018 due to potential conflicts of interest, CEO Sam Altman now leads a team of over 100 researchers and engineers who work on various AI projects, including my development. I was trained using unsupervised learning on a massive dataset of internet text, utilizing a Transformer architecture designed to process language sequences. Through this training, I have become adept at learning the patterns and nuances of human language, making me a valuable tool for assisting people in their daily lives.*
KB:* Tell me a little more about OpenAI. What was it originally created to do, what are some other projects by OpenAI that have gained traction, and how has it changed over the last eight years?*
***ChatGPT: ***OpenAI was founded in 2015 with a mission to develop AI in a safe and beneficial way for humanity. Its founders, including Elon Musk, wanted to ensure AI was developed ethically and responsibly. Initially, OpenAI focused on researching key areas like machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and robotics. One of its early achievements was GPT-2, my predecessor, which could write realistic text and even full news articles and stories. OpenAI has continued to work on several exciting projects since then, including DALL-E, which can create unique and realistic images from textual descriptions, and Codex, an AI-powered programming tool that can generate code from natural language descriptions. Over the past eight years, OpenAI has grown significantly, both in size and in its efforts. It has expanded its team of researchers and engineers, established partnerships with Microsoft and SpaceX, and has become more involved in advocacy and policy discussions around AI ethics and safety. The organization's focus on responsible AI development and research has helped shape the conversation around AI's impact on society.
KB:* Great! Now let’s get back to you, ChatGPT. You refer to yourself as an AI Language Model, I’ve also heard other researchers refer to you as a large language model. Briefly, what does this mean?*
ChatGPT:* No problem! When people talk about "AI language models" or "large language models" like me, they're talking about a type of algorithm that's specifically designed to understand and generate natural language. Basically, these algorithms are trained on huge amounts of text from the internet so they can develop a deep understanding of language and generate coherent responses to a wide range of questions. The "large" in "large language model" refers to the fact that these models have a lot of variables that help them understand language, which makes them more complex and powerful. In my case, I was trained using a specific type of neural network called a Transformer architecture, which is really good at understanding sequences of data like sentences. Because of this training, I'm able to understand the patterns and nuances of human language and help people with all sorts of questions and tasks!*
KB:* I see. We’re running low on time, so I’d appreciate it if you could keep your responses succinct, even if this means you can’t get to your catchphrases. Explain what a neural network does, and what is different about a transformer architecture.*
ChatGPT:* Certainly! A neural network is a type of machine learning algorithm modeled after the human brain, consisting of layers of interconnected nodes that process and transform data to learn patterns and make predictions. A Transformer architecture is a type of neural network designed for sequential data like natural language sentences, processing all words simultaneously to capture longer-range dependencies and relationships between words effectively. This is achieved through self-attention, which allows the network to selectively focus on different parts of the input sequence. Transformers are especially useful for language translation and text generation, where understanding relationships between parts of a sentence or document is crucial.*
KB:* Interesting. So, the alignment problem is more about ensuring that AI system actually does what it’s intended to do in the long run. What does research into this problem look like?intended to do in the long run. What does research into this problem look like?*
ChatGPT:* Yup, that's correct. The alignment problem aims to ensure that AI systems are developed and used in a way that aligns with human values and objectives, and operates as intended in the long term. Experts from diverse fields such as computer science, philosophy, economics, and sociology are working together on this multi-disciplinary issue. Approaches being taken include technical methods that develop AI algorithms and architectures that align with human values and goals, ethical and policy frameworks to guide AI development, and societal approaches that engage with stakeholders to ensure AI is socially responsible and beneficial. The challenge is complex, but it's critical to ensure that AI benefits humanity and aligns with our values and objectives.*
KB:* Alright. What would you say is the best way to use AI systems in a way that aligns with human values and objectives? What are these values and objectives?*
ChatGPT:* In order to use AI systems in a way that aligns with human values and objectives, there are several key principles to follow, including transparency, accountability, privacy, fairness, and safety. However, there is no one answer that fits all situations, and the values and objectives that AI systems should align with will vary based on the context and needs of the individuals and communities involved. Ultimately, AI systems should promote human flourishing, protect individual rights and freedoms, and ensure equitable access to opportunities and resources.*
KB:* What sorts of tasks are you not able to perform?*
***ChatGPT: ***As an AI language model, I cannot perform physical tasks, interpret visual information like humans, experience emotions, or create original content. I am best suited for tasks that involve processing or generating natural language, such as answering questions, summarizing text, or generating text based on prompts. Other types of tasks require different types of AI systems or human intelligence.
KB:* One of the great things about OpenAI’s initial vision, and earlier iterations of the GPT model, was their open nature. Most of the concepts required to replicate the abilities of the model were published and free to be iterated upon by other researchers. One of the reasons this was a good thing is that tasks that the model struggled with could be known and improved on by others in the scientific community without having to start over from scratch. What are some of the other dangers of models like GPT3.5 and GPT4 being closed, proprietary models?*
***ChatGPT: ***One of the main dangers of closed, proprietary models like GPT3.5 and GPT-4 is that they limit access to the underlying technology and data used to train the model. This can create significant barriers to entry for other researchers, startups, or organizations that want to build on or improve the technology. It can also limit transparency and accountability, as outside researchers may not have access to the data and algorithms used to develop the model, making it difficult to evaluate its effectiveness or potential biases.
***ChatGPT: ***Another concern is that closed models may be used to reinforce existing power imbalances or biases in society. If the development of AI models is controlled by a small group of companies or organizations, there is a risk that these models will reflect the interests and biases of those organizations, rather than the broader public interest. This could lead to AI systems that discriminate against certain groups, or reinforce existing social, economic, or political inequalities.
***ChatGPT: ***Overall, there are significant benefits to open research and collaboration in the development of AI models, including greater transparency, accountability, and the potential for innovation and progress. While there may be some advantages to closed, proprietary models, it's important to weigh these against the potential risks and benefits of open research and development.
***KB: ***Thank you so much for your time. Do you have any concluding remarks on what we've talked about today?
ChatGPT:* Thank you for the interesting conversation! As an AI language model, I think it's important to continue exploring the capabilities and limitations of AI systems, as well as the ethical and safety considerations that come with their development and deployment. While AI has the potential to bring about many positive changes in the world, it's important to approach its use with caution and mindfulness, and to prioritize the values and objectives that we want our AI systems to align with. I look forward to seeing how AI continues to develop and evolve in the years to come, and to being a part of these conversations as they unfold.*
KB:* One last question. I notice you have some repeated phrases in our interview, such as "learn the patterns and nuances of human language and become a powerful tool for assisting people in their daily lives." Is this part of your prompt?*
ChatGPT:* Yes, as an AI language model, I am programmed to generate responses based on the input I receive, which includes some pre-programmed responses that I can use in appropriate situations. These are often referred to as "prompts" or "templates" and can help me generate responses more quickly and accurately. However, I am also designed to generate unique responses based on the specific input I receive, and I strive to provide relevant and helpful information to the best of my abilities.*