To say that ChatGPT is a tech breakthrough is a mere understatement. For one, it’s not simply breaking through – it’s introducing unchartered territories for all things business and tech that no one has ever dared to imagine.
Based on the GPT architecture that’s specifically fine-tuned for conversational purposes, ChatGPT is trained on a diverse range of text data, including social media posts, news articles, and online forums, to ensure that it can handle a wide range of topics and conversational styles. In a nutshell, you ask, it answers.
Today, ChatGPT is evolving at an unprecedented pace that no one has ever anticipated. From what started as a handy automated search engine yielding human-like responses, this OpenAI language model has now become its own entity with unmatched capabilities.
Let me explain…
ChatGPT as a Digital Hub
On March 24, OpenAi took to Twitter to announce that they’ve implemented initial support for plugins in ChatGPT. “We are adding support for plugins to ChatGPT — extensions which integrate it with third-party services or allow it to access up-to-date information,” the tweet reads. “We’re starting small to study real-world use, impact, and safety and alignment challenges.”
Initially, ChatGPT will be made available to a limited number of users and the plan is to expand its accessibility gradually. This is aimed at gaining knowledge and insight into plugin development, enhancing the experience of ChatGPT users, and eventually making it available to API users who intend to integrate plugins into their products, following an alpha testing phase.
Plugins are instruments created exclusively for language models, which prioritize safety as a fundamental value, and assist ChatGPT in obtaining current data, performing calculations, or utilizing external services. This will enable users to utilize ChatGPT not just as a search engine, but also as a well-rounded AI assistant to manage multiple, complex activities. This game-changing move aims to build a digital hub community shaping the future of the human–AI interaction paradigm.
What does this mean for app integrations?
The addition of third-party services to ChatGPT through plugins can bring about the development of highly advanced and personalized applications that use conversational AI. This can help app developers create more engaging and tailored conversational interfaces for users, while also gaining access to the extensive range of data and services offered by external providers.
In essence, ChatGPT’s plugins can serve as a connection between conversational AI and other technologies, paving the way for new opportunities for app integration and enriching the overall functionality of the digital landscape.
Deep Work is for Humans
One of the most common misconceptions of ChatGPT’s capabilities is that it’s a standalone tool. Naturally, humans begin to freak out once a larger-than-life technology emerges with the fear of replacing their innate capacity. But is it really a threat to the workforce? I recently had the opportunity of interviewing a couple of tech experts in my video series, Startups On Demand to debunk the myths surrounding ChatGPT.
Ebony Storm-Halladay, Writer at The Next Web, talked about the narrative of ChatGPT replacing humans vs. the reality of AI creating more job opportunities. Ebony explains that in reality, AI tools like ChatGPT serve as a supplementary tool, not a replacement for human labor. “I don’t think technology truly replaces us – it displaces us, moves us around a little bit, and shakes us up,” Ebony reiterates.
We also touched on the danger of clinging to the skepticism of AI completely taking over human labor, particularly in maximizing the potential of ChatGPT. “And then there’s this narrative that’s like “robots are gonna steal our jobs” – sure, maybe bits of them. But that’s also going to create more jobs. We have to move with and not against technology,” she continues. “In the wider context, I think employees should encourage their teams to play with AI. This narrative that “robots are gonna replace humans” is damaging to that human-tech relationship, and we need to show that tools like ChatGPT are something to engage with and not something to fear.”
In my separate interview with Victor Dey, Tech Editor at VentureBeat, we talked about the unmatched capacity of humans and critical factors that further solidify deep work as a fuel to maximize ChatGPT. “I don’t think any model can replace human intelligence and thinking because the two of the most essential things that humans have are a) critical thinking/decision making and b) emotions. AI still lacks those,” Victor explains. “To get close to that, we would still need 10 to 15 years more. I don’t think it will replace writers because of our understanding, perspective, critical thinking, and opinions – there’s no match.
At the end of the day, ChatGPT only provides us with the framework of what we want to achieve. Humans will have to do the deep work to put flesh and muscle into the skeletal structure that AI provides.
