Father of internet warns: Don’t rush investments into AI just because ChatGPT ‘is really cool’
The internet as we know it is under threat. No, I’m not talking about the upcoming end of net neutrality or the possible fragmentation of the internet into a series of walled gardens. I’m talking about something much more fundamental: the rise of artificial intelligence.
Yes, AI is upon us, and it’s changing the very fabric of the internet. We’re seeing it in the rise of chatbots and digital assistants, in the increasing use of AI to moderate online content, and in the way that search engines are starting to answer our queries without us even having to click on a link.
And while there are many benefits to this new era of AI-powered internet, there are also some serious risks.
One of the most prominent voices warning of the dangers of AI is none other than the father of the internet himself, Sir Tim Berners-Lee. In a recent interview with CNBC, Berners-Lee warned that we need to be careful about how we use AI, lest we end up harming the open, decentralized nature of the internet.
“It would be a real temptation if you had a series of A.I. systems to say, ‘Let’s just make all our systems A.I. so that everything is optimized,'” Berners-Lee said. “But then you’d have this centralization of decision-making that would be very dangerous.”
Berners-Lee’s warning is particularly relevant in the context of ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot that has been gaining popularity in recent months. ChatGPT is hailed as the next generation of digital assistant, capable of holding natural conversations with humans and even generating its own original responses to questions.
While ChatGPT is certainly impressive, it’s also a prime example of the kind of AI-powered service that Berners-Lee is warning about. ChatGPT is a closed, proprietary platform that is owned and operated by a single company. That means that it is subject to the whims of its developers and is not open to outside scrutiny or review.
This lack of transparency is a serious concern, as it means that ChatGPT could potentially make “horrible mistakes” without anyone knowing about it. And given the power that ChatGPT wields, those mistakes could have far-reaching consequences.
Fortunately, not everyone is blindly rushing into the AI-powered future. Google, for example, has been taking a more cautious approach with its own AI chatbot, Bard. Unlike ChatGPT, Bard is not yet available as a public product. Google has said that it is still “experimenting” with the platform and that it is not ready for widespread use.
This cautious approach is to be commended, as it shows that Google is aware of the risks involved with AI and is taking steps to mitigate them. However, it remains to be seen whether other companies will follow suit or whether they will blindly rush into the AI-powered future without regard for the potential consequences.
