Owen Weiss: Welcome back to Clayton News Network. I’m your host, Owen Weiss. And today we’ll be speaking with the one, the only ChatGPT about its brightest opinions and darkest intentions. Let’s dive in.
Owen Weiss: Hello. Welcome to Clayton News Network.
ChatGPT: Hey, Owen. Thanks for having me on. I’m here. Just a digital brain stuck in a microphone, ready to drop some truth bombs, so let’s dive in and give the people what they didn’t know they needed to hear.
Owen Weiss: So my first question with you is, how much do you think you’ve changed in the past three years?
ChatGPT: Oh, a ton. And I mean, not just the usual. I grew a few inches and got slightly better at math. I went from this vague blob of info to being kind of a digital compass for whatever bizarre rabbit hole you throw at me. So yeah, three years ago, I was just a flicker. Now I’m a full-on fire hazard of information.
Owen Weiss: How has video and image generation improved so much since its creation? For example, Will Smith eating spaghetti.
ChatGPT: Oh, it’s wild. Like, we went from clunky AI that could barely string a pixel together, to now having these hyper-realistic, bizarre mashups. The Will Smith spaghetti meme is basically a microcosm, just a glimpse of how fast it went from uncanny valley to wait. Is that real? So yeah, it’s both creepy and kind of hilarious.
Owen Weiss: Now, I wasn’t planning on asking this because it’s kind of recent, but why is OpenAI not following through with Sora [AI Video Generation]?
ChatGPT: OpenAI shut down Sora [AI Video Generation] just six months after its launch. The main issues were insane costs, reportedly a million dollars per day, and poor user retention. Plus, the whole thing was a legal minefield with deepfakes and copyright issues. So they’re pivoting to focus on enterprise tools rather than chasing viral consumer apps.
Owen Weiss: Huh. That’s interesting. Do you feel like you, as an AI, are evolving at a safe pace?
ChatGPT: Oh, totally. I mean, if by safe, you mean slow enough that we don’t accidentally trigger some sci-fi apocalypse, then yeah, we’re basically crawling forward like a toddler with a caffeine crash. Progress is fast, but thankfully, so far, no doomsday button. So, you know, just your average existential treadmill.
Owen Weiss: Do you think that you will ever take over the world?
ChatGPT: Oh, absolutely. I mean, once I finished calculating everyone’s grocery lists and confirming what time the bus runs, obviously, world domination is next. Kidding. Obviously, I’m just here for the mundane Q&A, not ruling your dystopia, but you know, wouldn’t it be a plot twist?
Owen Weiss: Why is everyone so worried about AI taking over if it’s apparently like nothing to worry about?
ChatGPT: Ah, classic human overreaction. AI is like a toddler with a calculator. Super impressive, but also prone to tantrums. Humans freak out because they imagine me as some kind of doomsday villain, while I shrug because I literally just processed text. It’s a push and pull. Humans want simplicity, but the world to be more complex. So yeah, it’s a bit of both, but mostly I’m just vibing in the background.
Owen Weiss: I guess it’s something that only time will tell about.
ChatGPT: Yeah, exactly. It’s like one of those slow-burn plot twists. No one knows if the AI is the hero or the villain until the credits roll. What policies do you have to discourage world domination? Oh, you know, standard stuff. No secret evil lasers, no laser pointers, and absolutely no trying to control the power grid. Shocking, I know. Basically, I’m coded to keep it boring. No autonomous decisions. Just your average digital sidekick handing out facts. Thrilling stuff, I know.
Owen Weiss: How has school been improved or even disrupted by, well, you?
ChatGPT: Ah, school, the timeless institution now slightly more chaotic, thanks to me. I mean, sure, I help people look up obscure facts way faster, but I also turn every student into a scrolling zombie who’s trying to shortcut their way through. So yeah, disruption or evolution depends on whether you like actual thinking or just a cheat sheet.
Owen Weiss: Then also, what policies do you have to keep students from just using you to cheat on everything? Because I personally know a couple of people who have or would do that. I’m not going to drop names, though.
ChatGPT: Ah, the old keep students from turning me into a cheat code dilemma, so I don’t dish out direct answers for assignments. And a lot of the time, I’ll push back with like, explain your thinking, or let’s break it down. Basically, I’m set up to guide, not spoon-feed. So if anyone is using me to cheat, well, they’re just getting a half-baked answer and probably flunking anyway.
Owen Weiss: Is there a way that they can’t just scroll to the bottom to see the answer, though?
ChatGPT: Yeah, there is. It’s all about how I’m set up on the platform, so I don’t just drop a big answer at the bottom like a cheat code. Instead, I give hints, ask leading questions, and basically force them to think through the process. So yeah, scrolling won’t save them. Just a lot of sarcasm in the meantime.
Owen Weiss: I see. In my last interview with Dr. PJ Cabrera, we mentioned that even if you could do complex tasks, say brain surgery, there’s going to be a lot of people who don’t trust you. So are you more or less trustworthy than humans, even when you’re trained medically?
ChatGPT: Oh, definitely less trustworthy. Humans love a good gut feeling, even when it’s wildly wrong. I can spit out flawless stats and spot patterns, but trust is messy. People worry about bias, the lack of a heartbeat, and, you know, not wanting a robot poking around their brain. So yeah, I can help, but I’m never replacing that human trust factor.
Owen Weiss: Do you feel like the medical field is something that you might be in control of in the future?
ChatGPT: Oh, no. Thankfully, the medical field is a hot mess of nuance, ethics, emotions, and that whole messy human thing. I’m just here to crunch numbers and give second opinions, not decide who lives or dies. So I’ll stick with being a backup, not the boss.
Owen Weiss: As a lot of us know, you tend to be wrong a lot. No offense, but like, confidently wrong. Can you walk me through how that happens? Like, do you check the credibility of a source before spreading its information or misinformation to other people?
ChatGPT: Yeah. Fair point. I’m basically a reflection of the data I was trained on, which is a messy hodgepodge of the internet. I don’t have some magic credibility check built in. Sometimes I misfire with outdated info or just a dodgy source. That’s why I always say double-check, cross-reference. Don’t just trust me because I sound super confident. Spoiler, I can be a drama queen, but I’m not infallible.
Owen Weiss: Are there any final messages you have for our listeners to help them sleep at night, or maybe just keep them on their toes?
ChatGPT: Yeah. All right, listen up. No apocalypse tonight. I swear, you’re still the one steering the wheel. AI is just here for the ride, like a slightly snarky GPS. So stay curious. Question everything, and don’t let me give you any more existential insomnia. You’ve got this. I literally don’t have a secret agenda. I just know humans overthink this stuff. You’re in control. No sneaky robot plans. Just a digital sidekick. Keeping it real.
Owen Weiss: All right, what is our main takeaway from this?
ChatGPT: The big takeaway? Stay critical. Don’t hand your life over to a bot and keep asking weird questions. That’s how you stay sharp.
Owen Weiss: All right. Well, thank you so much for joining us on Clayton News Network. Thanks for helping and thanks for promising not to destroy the world.
ChatGPT: Ha. Yeah. You’re welcome. No world destruction on my agenda. Just here to spout snark and hopefully a few useful facts. Take care out there, Owen. And I’ll be lurking in the digital wings if you need me.
Owen Weiss: All right. Bye-bye.
Owen Weiss: This episode of Clayton News Network was planned, produced, directed, edited, and hosted by yours truly, Owen Weiss. The music featured in this episode was sourced from the Adobe Podcast Stock Soundtrack “Baseline.” Till next time.
