I didn’t end up watching the Super Bowl. I used the afternoon to unpack boxes and other tasks leftover from moving. But I did really like this ChatGPT ad. It has a little whimsy reminiscent of some Apple ads, while still uniquely its own thing.
@manton.org Thanks! Close, we’re in Windsor Park, just north of Mueller. We had been in Mueller for the last year and enjoyed it. I have a new appreciation for east Austin after searching months all over the place around here.
@manton A gentle pushback - portraying ChatGPT with “whimsy” is a tactic designed to make ChatGPT appear harmless. This will have the effect of lulling people into a false sense of trust about the AI. Artificial intelligence is already harming people by being used by bad actors to spread disinformation and deepfakes. It is not a “whimsical” product. The ad was subtle subliminal brainwashing (as are most ads, tbh).
@apoorplayer It’s a fair point. I’m fascinated by the ad because I love anything animated, but also it feels like a turning point with OpenAI becoming a mainstream product company. Disinformation is a huge issue, though.
@manton I’m not as anti-AI as Tom, and don’t really see the fact that it has been used for bad things as a reason to condemn. What technology, starting with fire, has not had good and bad uses? I’m old enough to remember when nuclear energy was seen as pure danger; now, it’s part of the way to escape global warming.
@drwalt I’m still optimistic about AI as a tool. We do have a misinformation problem and AI slop everywhere on the web could make it worse. With the ad, the challenge I hear is how to educate users that some models are relatively safe, but that doesn’t mean all AI should be trusted.
@manton When Elon Musk is willing to offer $97.4 billion dollars to Sam Altman for a “tool’ called OpenAI, it’s not the tool I’m concerned about. It’s the humans who will eventually control the tool.
@apoorplayer Yeah. I’m disappointed with the OpenAI leadership on some things but Elon really needs to stop buying companies.
@manton Totally agree. I’d also say that your Average Joe is using AI as a search engine, which is not what it’s good at. But give it a data set and specific problems (e.g., MRI results or DNA analysis) and it’s amazing. I also agree with you and Tom: Elon shouldn’t be allowed to own anything. Although Sam Altman is no angel, either.