I wonder if you noticed anything different about last month’s ‘Vine Matters’ article? To jog your memory, it was about the wisdom that can be found in the Book of Proverbs. Last month’s article was not written by me, or by anyone else for that matter. It was instead authored by ChatGPT the Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool that seems to be mentioned in every news broadcast. ‘Experts’ are hailing this technology as revolutionary, bringing great benefits. Artificial Intelligence tools in the pharmaceutical world have already produced exciting new drugs to treat some of the most distressing diseases. AI, must be a good thing? Yet, the next news article is warning against the untold dangers of a rampant AI system that according to Elon Musk could cause the ‘destruction of civilisation’ as if we are only hours away from the plot of Terminator becoming reality.
Before I published the article written by ChatGPT, I read it through to make sure it was accurate and told a story I was happy to go out under my name. I was responsible. I think that is key in this new AI age. The technology is neither good nor bad, but it is powerful and as the great Stan Lee wrote in Spiderman, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’
Both those that develop Artificial Intelligence and the rest of us that will inevitably encounter AI, need the skills to be able to discern how this technology is used, so that it is used responsibly avoiding unintended harm and preventing intentional misuse. Without this discernment we risk a repeat of the Robert Oppenheimer experience. Robert, a nuclear scientist, on watching the first atomic bomb famously remarked that the explosion brought to his mind words from the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Discernment is related to wisdom as I, I mean Chat-GPT, wrote about last month. Much of The Book of Proverbs is credited to King Solomon who was known for his power of discernment, making many wise decisions and moral judgments. His wisest attribute? That he knew he did not know it all. This is why Solomon, when given the opportunity to ask God for anything, asked this…
‘…give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong…’ 1 Kings 3:9
As we come to grips with advances in technology, I think we can all benefit from discerning the right way and wrong way it can be used.
Finally, I promise a mark one, flesh and blood, human (me) wrote this article. After all no self-respecting AI would reference Spiderman, Terminator, and the bible in the same text.
