AI in Everyday Life: Separating Fact from Fiction
AI in Everyday Life: Separating Fact from Fiction
Artificial Intelligence is the hot topic of the moment. Increasingly, in our daily lives, we are surrounded by practical applications of this technology. Its presence in our routines is not entirely new, but it gained greater relevance and prominence in society with the emergence of some famous conversational assistants, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Quickly, theories emerged claiming that these “intelligent” systems would dominate the world and exterminate humanity. However, before making apocalyptic predictions, it is important to analyze and understand how these systems work, especially since many of these predictions are based on works of fiction.
Misconceptions About Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence can be divided into different areas, each with specific characteristics, functionalities, and applications. However, in general, when thinking about Artificial Intelligence, most people picture autonomous humanoid robots capable of communication, endowed with their own thoughts and will. This vision remains somewhat futuristic, as this type of technology, while under study and development, is not yet integrated into our society. Therefore, let us focus on the type of Artificial Intelligence that is widely used and probably the most relevant today: conversational and generative assistants, such as ChatGPT.
How Large Language Models Work
These systems are composed of models known as LLMs (Large Language Models). They are trained on vast amounts of text extracted from the internet, books, and other content to learn how human language works. Based on this training, probabilistic models are created that attempt to predict the most likely sequence of words in a text. In simple terms, these models analyze patterns in language and generate responses grounded in those patterns.
The Truth About Understanding and Consciousness
Contrary to what many believe, these systems do not truly “understand” what they are saying, nor do they possess consciousness. They function as an extremely advanced “autocomplete,” predicting the next most likely word or idea in a conversation. Because of this characteristic, they are not infallible, as they are based on a probabilistic system. Therefore, they should always be used with caution and never interpreted as omniscient systems. Additionally, their knowledge is limited to information known to humanity and included in the data they were trained on and they have access. Nevertheless, just as we should not deify these systems, we should not marginalize their use either. As Henri Poincaré, a renowned 19th-century mathematician, once said: “To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity of reflection.”
Striking a Balance Between Enthusiasm and Caution
In a world where Artificial Intelligence continues to evolve at an impressive pace, it is essential to strike a balance between enthusiasm and caution. This technology has enormous potential to positively transform various aspects of our lives, but its use must be sensible. The key will always be to understand its limitations and leverage it as a powerful tool to achieve certain goals and objectives, rather than expecting it to solve every problem effortlessly.
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